CRIME OF SWATTING

SB 18 creates a new criminal offense for "swatting" in New Mexico, defined as knowingly making a false emergency report to law enforcement or emergency services with the intent to trigger a rapid response. The bill classifies swatting as a fourth-degree felony (same penalty as bomb scares) and increases the penalty for making a shooting threat to a fourth-degree felony. It also requires convicted individuals to reimburse victims for economic harm, including lost wages, business shutdown costs, and other direct financial losses caused by the false report. This law directly affects people who make false emergency reports and victims of such incidents.