Swating Incident Takes Toll on Dispatcher

After handling a telephone call that sounded authentic but which turned out to be maliciously false, a veteran Portage (Wisc.) dispatcher was relieved that no one was injured, but also angry that someone would fabricate such a dangerous story. Marie Darling-Ellis was working last Sept. when she answered a call purportedly from an insurance call center in Texas. A male said he received a call from a Portage woman who had been shot along with her baby. The woman then came on the line, said her baby was dead and that she had been locked in a basement. Darling-Ellis talked to the woman and alerted a assistant police chief who was in an adjacent office. Eventually the gunman came on the line and threatened to shoot any officers he saw at the house. Indeed, police did respond and after three hours entered the house to find it empty, and determined the residents were not involved with the telephone call. The callers correctly identified the house and the resident’s names, making the call sound authentic. Police are working with the FBI to identify the source of the calls, and have several leads. Read about how Marie Darling-Ellis handled the call here, and more about the incident here.