Gov. Rick Snyder to Visit Trenton Fire Department to Sign New Crime Bill

Gov. Rick Snyder plans to visit the Trenton Fire Department at 1 p.m. at Station 1 on Monday to publicly sign a bill that would help prevent a relatively new type of online crime, according to Anna Heaton, of the House Majority Communications department for the Michigan House of Representatives.

House Bill 5432 is part of a three-bill package that establishes the crime of "Swatting."

"Swatting is a relatively new crime in which a person uses the Internet to report a serious crime or medical emergency in progress using "spoofing" technology, so that the report appears to be originating from another address," Heaton said in an email.

Heaton said "spoofing" can result in SWAT teams and ambulances being sent to disturb innocent home and business owners.

In conjunction with House Bill 5432, House Bill 5431 creates new felonies for the false reports and House Bill 5432 allows local governments to be reimbursed for the expensive actions taken after the false report is made, according to Heaton.

Snyder has agreed to sign the bill at the Trenton Fire Department because State Rep. Pat Somerville (R-Huron Twp.), who represents the 23rd District, was the sponsor of one of the bill that is being signed.

The 23rd district consists of Brownstown Township, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile Township, Huron Township, Rockwood, Sumpter Township and Woodhaven.