It would be impossible to SWAT us because nobody knows the exact moment we record. And even then, there's editing so no guarantee that anyone would actually see it.
Although I think this is an absolute dick move that puts many innocent lives in danger, I am wondering how it costs the taxpayers much money. The SWAT members were already at work and on the clock, right? Same with the dispatcher? Where does the money that would otherwise not have been spent go?
They also take it very seriously, because if a real emergency came up, all these resources are pointed someplace else.
And its true the people are on the clock, but if anything happened to any equipment, that costs money.
Also, think if they dispatched a copter or something. Those things arent just paid for. Each situation carries its own pricetag which is billed to the local "precinct" or whatever. Each individual office operates its own budget, and if budget is wasted, its a ton of protocol to apply for more, again if a real emergency happened later in the year or something. At the end of the day, its the feds moving money from one pocket to the other, but these types of hoaxes can have a ripple effect within the economics of law enforcement.
Yeah, it doesn't really cost any more than a training exercise.
Kind of true, but training is planned for and specifically paid for.
Trust me, if training exceeds budget, there is hell to pay.