

The person doing the swatting intends to create an emergency response, so they report severe crimes such as bomb threats or active shooters.Įxamples of law enforcement responses that occur as a result of swatting include: It is the act of making a prank call to emergency personnel in an attempt to bring a large number of armed officers to a specific location. Swatting is a type of prank call that involves more malicious intent.
Jail prank call free#
Punishments for this type of felony include up to $10,000 in fines and three years in county jail.įor a free legal consultation, call (310) 928-9347 Prank Calls vs.

However, if you make a fake 911 call that causes severe bodily injury or wrongful death, your misdemeanor can increase to a felony. The statute lists prank emergency calls as a misdemeanor that can result in $1,000 in fines and up to one year in county jail.
Jail prank call code#
The penal code makes it illegal for California residents to report or cause someone else to report an emergency that is knowingly fake to a government agency. In California, Penal Code (PC) §148.3 lists the specific penalties for making a prank 911 call. However, the specific criminal penalties you may face will be determined by your state. Calling 911 for any reason other than reporting an actual emergency is not allowed. Simply put: making a prank 911 phone call constitutes a crime, making it punishable with jail time and significant fines. Consequences You Face for Making a Prank 911 Call Therefore, one prank call can lead to hefty fines and jail sentences. Prank calls can cause panic or prevent law enforcement from responding to an actual crisis. Source: FindLaw, “ Can Prank Calls Get You Arrested?,” Andrew Lu, accessed Feb.Yes, you can go to jail for making a 911 prank phone call. If you’re facing charges, you must know your legal defense options. In the worst cases, you could face felony charges.Īs you can see, there are very real legal ramifications to prank calls, even if you thought they were no big deal. If you make any threats, that vastly increases the risk of criminal charges.įinally, if you record the call, hoping it will be funny and you can post it online later to show your friends, you could then be in violation of wiretapping laws. Even if you call it a prank, it may then come off as a verbal assault. You could be accused of a hate crime if your prank includes making disparaging remarks based on a person’s race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or something else along those lines. “Prank” calling your ex every day for months on end could lead to harassment accusations. One prank call to a neighbor likely won’t trigger a call to the police. This may have to do with what you say and how often you call. You could face accusations of harassment or disorderly conduct. This is what could lead to charges, depending on the nature of the call. Generally, you’re not going to face legal ramifications for an honest joke, but the problem is that you may consider it a joke, while someone else thinks of it very differently. Do they go beyond simply annoying the person you’re calling? Could you be arrested?

Now that you’re an adult, though, you’re starting to wonder about the ramifications.

When you were a child, you thought nothing of it. You’ve always enjoyed making prank calls.
