U.S. Senator and former Florida governor Rick Scott claims that police in Naples sent a SWAT team to his house. His family's dinner was interrupted by the tactical team, he says, which was responding to a prank call.
"Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards 'swatted' my home in Naples," he wrote on Twitter. "These criminals wasted the time & resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family."
Naples police issued a statement: "On December 27, 2023, at approximately 9:02pm, Naples Police dispatchers received a call on our non-emergency line from an individual stating that a shooting occurred … Within 15 minutes, we were able to confirm that the events did not occur, and the incident was a swatting event."
One one hand, it seems unlikely that police would send a tactical team to swat the home of a U.S. Senator and former state governor. On the other hand, it's Florida and going out on a swat is fun.
Pranksters swat people because SWAT teams are likely to engage targets immediately without consideration or care. It's one of the many holes in U.S. policy and training that allows police to indulge in virtually unaccountable misconduct.
