The Los Angeles City Council has approved a motion to combat “swatting,” where people make false 911 calls reporting that there is a robbery, hostage situation or other violent crime occurring at a particular residence, many times the homes of celebrities.

The practice takes its name from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) team, which is often called in when the reports are made. City Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, authored the motion, which gives the city the power to enact rewards when swatting incidents occur, according to Koretz’s deputy, Paul Michael Neuman.

The councilman authored the motion in April after swatting incidents occurred within a one-week period at the homes of celebrities such as Sean Combs, Selena Gomez, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake. Koretz himself was targeted in May after he authored the motion. Police reportedly converged on his house in the Beverly/Fairfax District after receiving reports of shots fired at his residence. Officers allegedly returned a short time later after receiving a second report of a hostage situation at Koretz’s residence.

The city council approved Koretz’s motion by an 11-0 vote on Oct. 30, and it was approved again on second reading yesterday. Koretz said the new regulations are necessary because swatting is a drain on police resources, and can be very costly to the city.

LAPD spokesman Lt. Andy Neiman said the police response can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and that personnel are diverted away from other duties because of swatting. He added that it also places the public and officers at risk of being injured in collisions when authorities respond to the incidents using emergency lights and sirens. People at the residences who are confronted by armed officers are also put in jeopardy.

Neiman said swatting incidents come in “waves,” and they appear to have tapered off somewhat recently. He said they are often committed by computer hackers or people seeking publicity.

“It’s really unfortunate, because the last wave we had here was due to the media publicity of the incidents,” Neiman said. “Outlets like TMZ were covering these incidents left and right, and it was sort of a badge of honor to have your crime reported on TMZ. It spread like wildfire.”

Lt. Marc Reina, with the LAPD’s Hollywood Division, said resources at the station have been depleted because of swatting. Approximately 50 officers were deployed to Ashton Kutcher’s home in the Hollywood Hills in October 2012 because of a swatting incident. A 12-year-old boy was arrested in December and confessed to making the false police report at Kutcher’s home, and to a separate incident at Justin Bieber’s home in Calabasas.

Neiman said people convicted of swatting can face charges ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, depending on the situation. He added that he is hopeful the new motion approved by the city council will help reduce the incidents.

“Anything they can do to dissuade people from engaging in this type of behavior would help reduce it,” Neiman said. “At least it will help us track these people down.”