Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
On April 20, 2015 Schumer announced legislation to crack down on an alarming new nationwide crime trend called “swatting” that has recently emerged as a problem in Rochester. Schumer explained that “swatting” is an incident in which a fake phone call is made in an effort to have police SWAT teams respond to an unsuspecting resident’s home. Schumer said these false alerts are not only terrifying residents, but they are also costing law enforcement departments thousands of dollars and putting at risk both first responders and innocent bystanders. Because these false threats often precipitate SWAT responses that require the deployment of armed SWAT teams, bomb squads and other police units, “swatting” calls can often lead to temporary street closures that result in local business loss, terrifying experiences for residents and bystanders who fall victim to the attacks, and can cost police departments thousands of taxpayer dollars. Schumer said that there have been over 12 Rochester-area “swatting” attacks in recent years, including two within the past month in Penfield and on Park Avenue in Rochester and communities are at great risk if nothing is done to stem this scourge of attacks. Schumer therefore discussed legislation he is introducing that would increase penalties for perpetrators, make criminals pay restitution to police, and close a loophole in federal law that would make it illegal for these wrongdoers to evade the law by disguising their identity by making “swatting” calls through Internet platforms like Skype.