Ever get a phone call that asked if your refrigerator was running, and then telling you that you should go out and catch it? Or have you ever received a pizza delivery that you did not order, or suddenly find yourself subscribed to the oddest magazines that you know you didn’t want? Well, back in my day, those were the pretty harmless pranks we played using a telephone. Today, however, some folks have become much bolder in their practical jokes, and one state is looking to swat down anyone foolish to engage in the practice of “swatting.”

What is swatting? Well, in this case, it’s not the act of squashing a mosquito or shooing a fly. It refers to the act of calling 911 and faking an emergency in hopes of eliciting a response from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team. For some, it appears that the height of amusement is sitting back and watching a startled neighbor’s home invaded by specially trained law enforcement officials acting on bad information.

But now, Kurt Heise, a state representative in Michigan, has introduced a bill to make this practice of swatting a felony. He said that "the innocent victims of swatting have literally been woken up in the middle of night to find SWAT teams, with guns drawn, at their window or door step. Our emergency first responders don't have the time or resources to respond to false crisis events. We need to take a strong stand against swatting before an innocent victim or emergency first responder is killed, or resources are misdirected."

Recently, Mark J. Fletcher, product manager for Public Safety Solutions at Avaya (News - Alert), blogged about his concerns over this practice and its implications for next-generation 911. He states his concerns that the next-generation 911 network, connected as it will be to other networks, will be a tempting target for phishing, identity theft and other virtual crimes.

To guard against this, Fletcher advocates a demilitarized zone (DMZ) approach. He states that creating a buffer zone between public safety and the Internet is crucial. The DMZ will allow for profiling of both data and sources, letting trusted entities prove their worth, new entities face additional security checks, and forcing known blacklisted agents to face severe restrictions.

In the end, says Fletcher, this approach will help secure the future of 911 and prevent our emergency response system from being compromised. That will make for a safer, more secure environment for everyone.