TOWN OF WALLKILL – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY18) had a message for those who have been making threatening calls – swatting – aimed at schools in the Middletown Enlarged City School District – “we are going to get you!”
Surrounded by school, Wallkill and Middletown municipal and law enforcement officials on Friday, Maloney stood in the lobby of Maple Hill School, the target of half of the 12 swatting calls the district has received since last fall, announcing legislation he was introducing immediately to declare swatting as an act of domestic terrorism with stiff penalties. He also said he is working with the FBI at the highest levels, talking frequently with Director James Comey, specifically about the Middletown schools situation.
Maloney and Middletown School Superintendent Kenneth Eastwood also announced that the FCC has agreed to expedite hearings into law enforcements’ request to use federal manpower resources to access Internet and phone and technology to catch those involved.
“However and whatever the solution is, we want to get at it, because it’s time that these types of crimes are considered true crimes to the point where you can marshal virtually any resource necessary to capture and deal with these individuals,” Eastwood said. “It’s time that the issue, for me anyway, of protecting individual privacy rights of somebody committing a crime, has to stop.”
“Someone is going to get hurt… this is a terrifying criminal act,” Maloney said.
Wallkill Town Supervisor Daniel Depew said the school district “is prepared in so many ways to protect our kids.” He said as the FBI is dealing with the issue of smart phones and privacy on the national level, “This, in itself, is another issue like that where law enforcement needs to tools to defend our way of life.”
Maple Hill School PTO member Victoria Lang said school officials are doing everything in their power to protect the children.
