The Indiana State Police (ISP) is aware of and are currently investigating multiple instances of the crime known as “swatting” which have recently targeted members of the Indiana General Assembly.
Three Indiana senators have been targeted as of Thursday. Nov. 20: Sen. Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute), Sen. Dan Dernulc (R-Highland), and Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette).
Swatting is an incident in which someone with ill intention notifies law enforcement via phone call, email or other form of communication of a false emergency at a targeted location. The end goal of this is to generate as large a scale law enforcement response as possible.
ISP warn that not only is this potentially dangerous to all involved, but it is also against the law. While the motives for this type of activity may vary, police are working diligently with local, county, and federal law enforcement partners to identify those responsible for these reckless, careless, and illegal activities.
ISP’s goal is to seek criminal prosecution against those involved to the fullest extent allowed by law.
The public can also be of significant assistance by contacting the Indiana State Police at iifc@iifc.in.gov with any information they have which may lead to the identification of those responsible. If you see or know something … say something.
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State Sen. Kyle Walker (R-Lawrence) made the following statement Thursday.
“Attempts have been made to intimidate me and threaten violence at my home. I am grateful to local and state law enforcement personnel for their ongoing efforts to keep us safe, and for their work to identify and hold these criminals accountable.
“All state leaders should send the strongest message possible that not only are these violent threats and intimidation tactics against the law, they are also counter-effective.
“I will not be providing additional details at this time as law enforcement conducts their investigation.”
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Treasurer Daniel Elliott released a statement on recent swatting incidents targeting Indiana State Senators.
“I’m appalled by the recent string of swatting incidents and swatting attempt incidents targeting Indiana state senators. There is no room for threats of violence in our political discourse.
“After speaking with the affected senators, I’ve directed my team at Indiana Statewide 911 to examine these threats and the specific manner in which they were made and see if there are any changes in policy or safety protocols that need to be brought to the Indiana Statewide 911 Board and the General Assembly.”
