A dangerous new trend appears to be gathering momentum in America, and if it doesn't stop, someone is likely to get hurt.

In the past week, we have seen a pronounced uptick in the latest prank targeting Hollywood stars. It's called swatting — and it's getting out of control. (There have been at least three reported instances in the last couple weeks.) Here's how it works:

1. A prankster calls 911 to report an imaginary crime at a celebrity's house.

2. A SWAT team is dispatched to deal with the imaginary emergency.

3. The SWAT team surrounds the celebrity's home, scaring the crap out of everyone present.

Anyone with any common sense can see why this is certainly a bad idea, and its potential for creating a dangerous situation. All it takes is one wrong move, one miscommunication, and somebody gets hurt — or killed.

On Jan. 17, a SWAT team responded to a 911 call reporting an armed gunman at Tom Cruise's home in Beverly Hills. The following day, a SWAT team was dispatched to the Hidden Hills home of Bruce and Kris Jenner, of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" fame. The 911 caller reported a shooting at the home, claiming the suspects were still inside. Then, a few days later, LAPD raided the Hollywood Hills home of Chris Brown, after a 911 caller reported a domestic dispute involving a gun.

Last October, we learned about similar instances involving Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher. In those cases, the swatter was caught. It was a 12-year-old boy whom sources say comes from a "dysfunctional family," and who has a history of antisocial behavior. According to the most recent report I could find, the district attorney was deciding whether to pursue charges.

Last August, a SWAT team responded to a reported home invasion at Miley Cyrus' house, and even dispatched a police helicopter to assess the situation. Miley wasn't home, and no crime had been committed.

The real victims of swatting are not the celebrities, who are almost never home when police swoop in. Swatting wastes the time of the police officers forced to respond to the false alarm. It places a tremendous financial burden on police departments and wastes taxpayers' dollars. And, of course, it prevents police from responding to real emergencies. After all, we're not talking about one or two cops &mdash' it's often 20 or 30.

Police take this very, very seriously. They are working hard to track down the latest rash of swatters. In most states, filing a false police report can be a felony if the reported crime is a felony, so the instances above would all qualify. I suspect that if an adult is caught swatting, the consequences will be severe — in part, as a deterrent to others.

Aside from a likely felony conviction, the swatter could also be forced to pay restitution to the city or county for the resources used in responding to the call. Though I'm no lawyer, I would imagine that they would be exposed to civil litigation to repair any property damages, and also for emotional distress and/or punitive damages.

I suspect that swatting will continue until we see a widely publicized conviction with stiff penalties imposed. Until swatting is viewed as more than a juvenile prank, with real consequences and repercussions, we'll probably continue to see celebrities' homes surrounded by armed officers.
