Recently the reality stars of E!'s "Keeping up with the Kardashians" became the latest stars to be involved in hoax emergency 911 calls labeled as "swatting." Police reportedly received a call on Friday afternoon that a disturbance took place at the home of Bruce and Kris Jenner, the leaders of the Kardashian clan that includes Kris's daughters: Kim, Kourtney and Khloe among others.
According to reports, an anonymous caller stated that they were locked inside the house and that someone had been shot at the residence. Upon arriving at the Hidden Hills home just outside Los Angeles, police asked Bruce, Kris, and daughters Kendall and Kylie to wait outside while the authorities searched the premises to ensure that there were no signs that the family or neighbors were in any danger.
This trend of "swatting" has grown over the past months, as celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Justin Beiber, and Ashton Kutcher have also been involved in these incidents. Often, the authorities respond, even enlisting the help of the SWAT team in some cases. Because of advances in technology, it can be hard to trace these calls and pinpoint suspects in such cases. Thus it is hard to understand if celebrities are always the victims, or if they are part of the hoax, attempting to gain publicity. It is especially hard to rule out families like the Kardashians, who have been labeled as "fame-seekers," from being involved in such pranks.
Regardless of who is responsible, it is important for law enforcement to put a stop to these swatting calls, as hoax 911 dispatches preoccupy officers under false pretenses, taking them away from real emergencies. It is important that individuals responsible for these crimes are held accountable for their actions. Although they may seem like simple "victim-less prank calls," they are serious crimes, and we can only hope that "swatting" is a dying trend.
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