Bill to toughen 'swatting' penalties rises in House

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri lawmaker is pushing for tougher penalties after a death in Kansas that resulted from a prank call to police.

State Rep. Bill Kidd, R-Independence, filed legislation to hold pranksters civilly and criminally liable if they make a call resulting in an emergency response, KRCG-TV reported .

The push comes amid the rise of "swatting," a prank in which someone calls the police to report an emergency that requires officers to send a SWAT team. The prank turned deadly Dec. 28 when police fatally shot Andrew Finch, 28, at his home in Kansas after receiving a hoax call about a shooting and kidnapping. The alleged caller, Tyler Barriss of Los Angeles, faces manslaughter charges in the death.

Kidd said Finch's death prompted him to file the bill. Currently, filing a false report is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, but Kidd said that doesn't consider any injuries that could occur. There is no state law dealing with swatting, said John Wheeler, sheriff of Cole County.

Under his proposal, causing a false emergency response that leads to serious injury would be punishable by up to four years in prison, and a swatting prank resulting in death would result in up to seven years in prison. The bill would also make the caller responsible for any damage resulting from the response.

, such as a SWAT team breaking down a door.

The bill hasn't yet been assigned to a committee, but Kidd said he has discussed it with Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr and Majority Floor Leader Rob Vescovo.