A Tennessee congressman introduced a federal bill to crack down on fake emergency calls. Here’s what to know about swatting.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A U.S. congressman from Tennessee has introduced a bill to crack down on swatting.

Rep. David Kustoff (R, TN-8) introduced the “Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act,” which would strengthen federal penalties for swatting.

The measure says, “This bill makes it a crime to intentionally convey false or misleading information in circumstances where the information may reasonably be expected to cause an emergency response and the information indicates the occurrence of criminal conduct or a threat to health or safety (commonly referred to as swatting).”

This comes after more than half a dozen schools in Tennessee were all placed on lockdown this week after hoax school threats.

Here’s which TN schools were impacted by ‘hoax’ threats, and what to know about the swatting investigations

What is swatting?

According to the FBI, swatting is when a person calls 911 and fakes an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement — usually a SWAT team.

The calls can put first responders and victims in dangerous situations, the FBI said, as the callers often report tales of hostages about to be executed or bombs about to go off.

“The community is placed in danger as responders rush to the scene, taking them away from real emergencies,” the FBI said. “And the officers are placed in danger as unsuspecting residents may try to defend themselves.”

While the FBI does not have a publicly recorded number of swatting calls that have been made year over year in the U.S., the National Association of Attorneys General says swatting threats have escalated across the U.S. Because of this, several states have taken targeted action to criminalize these calls, including Kentucky, which in 2022 approved a bill that would increase penalties for falsely reporting emergencies and allow courts to order restitution to affected agencies or individuals.

According to the FBI’s 2023 Year in Review report, it launched the National Common Operating Picture database to track swatting events. The agency reported more than 300 incidents between May and September of 2023.

The K-12 School Shooting Database recorded swatting incidents at U.S. schools from 2023 to 2024. The highest number of reported incidents occurred in March 2023, with 210. The second-most was 148 in February 2023.

Recent swatting incidents in Tennessee

On Tuesday, a flurry of swatting incidents caused several schools in Middle Tennessee to be put on lockdown and lockout, drawing responses from several law enforcement agencies and disrupting students’ education.

In April, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a threat made against a student at Independence High School.

The school was placed on a brief lockdown as the sheriff’s office investigated the threat.

The sheriff’s office later determined that the call was actually a swatting incident and was likely made from out-of-state.

A spokesperson for Williamson County Schools said some similar false threat calls were made to other schools in the area as well.

The investigation into that incident is ongoing.

Earlier this year, an East Tennessee teen was arrested for allegedly making four swatting calls to the McMinnville Police Department. The caller reported that a person had been shot and another was being held hostage.

The 17-year-old Maryville boy admitted to being angry at another teen staying at a McMinnville home and paying someone to call false emergencies and being present when the calls were made.

The Associated Press reported in 2025 about a wave of swatting calls at multiple college campuses in August.

One of the first incidents in this wave occurred in Tennessee at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga when authorities received false calls reporting an active shooter with an AR-15-style rifle and four people shot.

The AP reported that dispatchers reported hearing multiple gunshots on the calls.

Ways to protect yourself from swatters

The FBI shared measures you can take to protect yourself from swatters, including:

• Review your online presence for sensitive personal information that could enable malicious actors to conduct a swatting attack.
• Exercise care when posting content (including photos and videos) or sharing it with individuals online. Although seemingly innocuous, images and videos can be exploited or manipulated by malicious actors for criminal activity.
• Consider online resources and services that may aid in reducing or removing sensitive publicly available information.
• Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication on all devices and accounts, including smart home devices.
• Discuss swatting with your family members or colleagues and have a plan in place in the event of law enforcement contact at your residence, business, or other location.