A fake emergency call to police resulted in officers responding Friday night to the home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows just a day after she removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause.

She becomes the latest elected politician to become a target of swatting, which involves making a prank phone call to emergency services with the intent that a large first responder presence, including SWAT teams, will show up at a residence.

Bellows was not home when the swatting call was made, and responding officers found nothing suspicious.

  • LazaroFilm
    link
    English
    551 year ago

    Then so for an identification or lower the response force. It feels like they just get a random phone call, no proof of anything and they just barge in within 10min. But when my neighbor plays loud music all night no one cares.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      601 year ago

      When you call the police on your loud neighbor do you say, “their music is too loud” or do you say, “a bunch of suspicious looking people have been going in and out carrying bags of fertilizer and electronic components.”

    • @afraid_of_zombies
      link
      41 year ago

      Not sure where she lives other than Maine, might be a small wealthy town with a bored police department.

    • @shalafi
      link
      English
      21 year ago

      You really want to try and work out such a system? Tell me how your algorithm is going to work and I’ll start throwing exceptions.

      Lives are on the line! You better have quite the bulletproof plan.

    • @chitak166
      link
      01 year ago

      Why would a swat team be sent for your neighbor’s loud music?

      Why does your comment have almost 50 upvotes?

      • LazaroFilm
        link
        English
        11 year ago

        I have no idea why so many people upvote this stupid comment.

        • @chitak166
          link
          -11 year ago

          Yeah, that’s what I’m asking.