On Long Island East End law enforcement has had its first experiences with “swatting,” calling in a fake crime usually to get a SWAT team called to a house. Southampton Town Police have responded to three swatting calls since the end of November.
Southampton Police Chief Steven Skrynecki said they’re adapting their policies to try and detect swatting calls.
“These kinds of incidents are occurring across the country. They have occurred in Nassau and western Suffolk county many times. These are the first three that I’m aware of that have occurred on the East End, on the Twin Forks.“
The department will now try various methods to confirm that an incident is actually happening, like calling the location, while officers first respond.