City Prepares To Charge For 911 Hang-Ups

Quite simply, the city of Vallejo (N. Calif.) is tired of handling 911 hang-up calls, but more significantly has just ended bankruptcy and is looking for ways of supporting the cost of dispatching officers to investigate about 4,500 hang-up incidents a year. So starting October 1st, the city will begin charging residents $200 for dialing accidentally, unintentionally or negligently dialing 911, and then failing to stay not the line or accept a callback from a dispatcher to explain the call. The city council passed the ordinance in 2009, but has chosen not to implement until this year. The program will begin with a 30-day warning period, and after that the telephone subscriber is responsible for hang-up calls. Parents of juvenile children who call are legally responsible for the cost-recovery fee. Cellular callers aren’t included in the program because they can’t be easily traced to the owner, and large businesses also are exempted. The ordinance also provides for an appeals process by the police department’s comm center manager and chief. Read more about the program here, and download (pdf) the full ordinance.