Were New York 911 Fees Mis-Spent?

A very long article on the Syracuse.com Web site says the state of New York has been collecting $1.20 per month as a “9-1-1 Service” fee on cellular phone bills. However, they’ve been spending just 6 cents of that fee on 911 centers, with the rest going to buy non-essential things for non-public safety agencies. Some of the funds have purchased hard hats for the state’s technology office, uniforms and other clothing for the state police, and $24 million on overtime at various agencies. Ironically, the state’s technology and agriculture agencies used $60,000 of the funds to pay for their cellular phone usage. Read more about how the state’s 911 fund is being raided here.