Sponsors (2)
The bill offers voluntary, locally implemented swatting registries with federal technical help and required privacy safeguards to reduce dangerous false‑flag responses, but it shifts costs and privacy risks to jurisdictions and registrants and forgoes a federal registry that could centralize cross‑jurisdiction tracking.
People at elevated risk (e.g., targeted individuals, people with disabilities, seniors) can voluntarily register an address and contact information so 9-1-1 dispatchers can verify calls, reducing dangerous armed law‑enforcement responses and protecting registrants and first responders.
State, tribal, territorial, and local public-safety agencies can get Department of Justice technical assistance and access existing grant programs to help create registries and verification protocols, lowering barriers to adoption and reducing implementation costs for jurisdictions that secure support.
Registry design must include privacy and civil‑rights safeguards (role‑based access, encryption, audit logs, access controls), which helps limit misuse of sensitive data and protect registrants' privacy.
Collecting and storing sensitive address and contact information creates privacy and data‑security risks (including breach targets) and may deter vulnerable people from enrolling, undermining the program's protective effect.
Implementing and maintaining secure, interoperable registries (technology, training, CAD integration, access controls) imposes upfront and ongoing costs and administrative burdens on state and local budgets, disproportionately affecting small and rural jurisdictions.
By forbidding a federal swatting registry and relying on voluntary, jurisdiction‑by‑jurisdiction adoption, the bill may create data gaps and limit cross‑jurisdictional tracking of repeat hoax callers, reducing overall effectiveness in identifying and deterring offenders.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Directs DOJ to publish voluntary best-practice guidance for jurisdictional swatting registries and allows DOJ technical assistance and grant support, while forbidding a federal registry.
Official title: To establish a registry to reduce swatting, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 22, 2026 by James R. Walkinshaw · Last progress July 22, 2026
Requires the Attorney General, working with DHS, to publish voluntary best-practice guidance for State, Tribal, territorial, and local governments and public safety agencies on establishing and operating voluntary swatting registries and related 9‑1‑1 response protocols within one year of enactment. Authorizes (subject to appropriations) DOJ to provide technical assistance and to use existing grant programs to help jurisdictions design or integrate registries, while making clear the federal government will not create a national registry or require jurisdictions to participate.