BILL NUMBER:A10518
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to creating the crime of
aggravated harassment of a public service answering point
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would create the crime of aggravated harassment of a public
service answering point and make such a crime a class E felony.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
A person would be guilty of aggravated harassment of a public service
answering point when he or she intentionally makes a telephone call,
whether or not a conversation ensues, with no purpose of legitimate
communication. This bill defines "public service g point" as a communi-
cation facility which receives 911 calls from persons within the 911
service area and which may directly dispatch the services of a public
safety agency or extend, transfer, or relay or route 911 calls to the
appropriate public safety agency.
JUSTIFICATION:
This would prevent emergency service personnel from being sent to a
location where there is no emergency and may possibly prevent them from
responding to a 911 call which is reporting an actual emergency situ-
ation. While making false 911 calls is already a crime, prank 911 hang
up calls would also take emergency personnel away from true emergencies.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
10518
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 2, 2010
___________
Introduced by M. of A. TEDISCO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to creating the crime of
aggravated harassment of a public service answering point
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.33 to
read as follows:
S 240.33 AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT OF A PUBLIC SERVICE ANSWERING POINT.
1. A PERSON IS GUILTY OF AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT OF A PUBLIC SERVICE
ANSWERING POINT WHEN HE OR SHE INTENTIONALLY MAKES A TELEPHONE CALL,
WHETHER OR NOT A CONVERSATION ENSUES, WITH NO PURPOSE OF LEGITIMATE
COMMUNICATION.
2. FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION, "PUBLIC SERVICE ANSWERING POINT"
MEANS A COMMUNICATION FACILITY WHICH FIRST RECEIVES 911 CALLS FROM
PERSONS WITHIN A 911 SERVICE AREA AND WHICH MAY, AS APPROPRIATE, DIRECT-
LY DISPATCH THE SERVICES OF A PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCY OR EXTEND, TRANSFER,
RELAY OR OTHERWISE ROUTE 911 CALLS TO THE APPROPRIATE PUBLIC SAFETY
AGENCY.
AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT OF A PUBLIC SERVICE ANSWERING POINT IS A CLASS E
FELONY.
S 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15915-01-0
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