Pol: Gov must pass law putting non-emergency 911 callers in prison following 'Caroline' incident

[brooklynite]

Source: The Brooklyn Paper

A Democratic Ditmas Park lawmaker is pushing legislation that would criminalize non-emergency calls to 911, arguing that gentrifiers are weaponizing the hotline against their neighbors after a white woman falsely reported a 9-year-old black boy for sexual assault last week.

...snip...

Parker introduced his 911-misuse bill in August, in response to number of white callers nationwide, including Park Slope’s “Doorway Debbie,” who reported black people for benign behavior over the summer.

And now he is demanding Gov. Cuomo convene a special session of the state Senate to pass the legislation that he said is even more necessary following the latest incident, which spread like wildfire on the Internet after a local shared a video of the woman calling 911 on the child for allegedly “grabbing her a--” inside an Albermarle Road bodega — a claim she later apologized for upon reviewing the store’s security footage, which clearly showed the boy’s backpack, not hands, brushed her backside.

Under Parker’s proposed law, any person found to have knowingly dialed the hotline to report a non-emergency would be slapped with a $900 fine or get three months in prison, according to the pol. In the most-recent case, for instance, prosecutors would need to prove the woman — whom outraged Internet users dubbed “Cornerstore Caroline” as video of her call went viral — intentionally reported the boy knowing he didn’t actually assault her, he said.

Read more: https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/41/43/dtg-911-misue-legislation-2018-10-26-bk.html

[greymattermom]

1. So do the folks on the phone try to figure out whether it's a real emergency?

You'd think even if you were touched, that's not a medical emergency.

[Corgigal]

4. They lie on the phone.

They will only call back. Very difficult to determine lies on a taped line.

True story, lady called saying she had a guy hiding under her bed. Dispatcher didn't believe her, asked her if she knew who the person was ? Was she drinking? Never sent anyone.

She was raped later. Always better to send someone out, always. Cops can always arrested after a investigation.

[Jedi Guy]

13. When I did police dispatch, we always sent officers to "weird" calls.

Most of the time it turns out to be totally fine and the officers aren't needed.

But then along comes the call you don't take seriously because it's just too wacky. For instance, I had a lady call to report that people were trying to break in through her dryer exhaust vent. Both I and a sarge figured it was a prank call, but decided to send an officer anyway.

The officer took a walk around the outside of the house and immediately radioed that she had two subjects at gunpoint. Turned out they were both stoned out of their minds and thought it was their house. When their keys didn't work, they did the next most logical (to them) thing and tried the dryer vent.

The dispatchers and officers can't just assume that everything is peachy. You gotta go make sure.

[TNNurse]

2. Please do not make the real people pay for their housing and care.

I prefer a $10,000 fine, community service and their photos in the local newspaper for a set period of time. Shaming on social media would of course be automatic.

[knightmaar]

3. Look at this from both sides though

What if you're a sexual assault or domestic assault victim?

Is this going to dissuade you from calling 911 in the middle of your boyfriend/husband/date starting to get violent?

Think this shit through. Thoroughly.

Because this $900 fine could very much be used against any victim who is later frightened into recanting their accusation of abuse.

[zipplewrath]

10. Red and Blue Lights

I agree this needs to be thought through. But I do wish we could somehow "teach" people to only call when they want/need the police to show up with the red and blue lights flashing.

911 calls are still "prioritized" and will get the treatment that the situation demands. You can call a non-emergency number, and if your situation demands it, they will show up just as fast. 911 is there so you don't have to look up a number. But in this day and age of smart speakers and google, getting the non-emergency number really isn't a big deal. If something suspicious is happening, you can call the non-emergency number and talk to someone about what you see. You might even find out that it's already been reported, or is not something of which to be afraid.

Yeah, grandma collapses on the floor, call 911. The front window is smashed in, call 911. House on fire, call 911. But people call 911 because they "hear a loud noise", or "someone is speeding on the Main Street".

[LakeSuperiorView]

12. Only problem, what's your non-emergency number?

I have no clue what the non-emergency number is in my neighborhood, let alone other cities that I am in regularly. Better to call 911 and immediately say that it isn't a emergency. I assume that if they are getting a lot of calls, I'll get put on hold, or transferred to a non-emergency line. 911 is for when you want the police to respond, even if it isn't for hours or the next day.

[zipplewrath]

16. Pretty easy to find

Especially these days between smart phones and speakers. But almost any phone book will have various governmental numbers listed on an inside cover or something. And there are still phone operators who can be called.

[LakeSuperiorView]

19. What's a phonebook? Got any helpful hints on finding a non-emmegency number?

www.yellowpages.com gave me 30 numbers for police departments, sheriff's offices, Secret Service, city offices in surrounding cities and counties, but NOT the number for the local police office, which is 5 block from my house, What millennial is going to put up with the non immediate gratification of looking through 30 entries and not finding the one that is needed?

Better to make false reporting a crime an annoying punishment than a devastating fine. Some amount of Community Service to defray the money they wasted by calling to their irrational fear/hate into the police.

[zipplewrath]

20. google the name of the police force

and nonemergency number.

For example: Bucksnort, Tennessee, [phone]

By the by, there's a really nice website called https://www.usacops.com for future reference.

Oh, and basically call any police department nearby, they'll redirect you to the correct one.

[LakeSuperiorView]

23. And if you do not know the name of of the police force?

What about when you don't have a smart phone or data plan?

The problem is not using 911 for what it was designed for, it's the tRump enabled deplorables using it to support their hate. You aren't going to get them to stop by telling them to look up non-emergency numbers. Make it a community service punishment crime to report false crimes. That makes the punishment automatically fit the person's circumstances. An $X fine is peanuts to some, a devasting blow to others. Community service should not bankrupt anyone and the judge should have discretion to make it fit even better than taking up someone's time.

911 is for when you want a police response. The same every where in the US. You are responsible for using it appropriately.

[Renew Deal]

5. This sounds like a bad idea

And could discourage people from saying something if they aren’t sure what is an emergency. In the case of the woman in Brooklyn, she completely overreacted, but she was touched. It was just a backpack. It was a complete misunderstanding that the video sorted out. She could have handled it better. Still, this threatens to harm lots of people that just don’t get it. What I’m saying is that it’s probably not worth harming those that try to do their best over the few that are malicious or unwise.

[Merlot]

7. Someone touching you inside a bodega is not a life threatening emergency.

If there are only a few that are "malicious or unwise" then they deserve the fine. The majority of people don't abuse the 911 system.

[Renew Deal]

11. Your heavy handed tactics might discourage real victims

And the woman in the touching case was touched. It wasn't until the video was seen that she found out it was an accident.

[Merlot]

14. This woman was not a victim. She was bumped in a store.

And if we discourage more like her from abusing the 911 system that's ok by me. Real victims with real emergencys will have no problem calling 911.

Someone in a store bumps you, you turn around, they usually say "excuse me" and that's the end of it.

Let's take this to the extreme: the cops come and decide to arrest the 9 year old boy for "assulting" the woman. Or let's even say it was a man who touched a woman in a store. You think there would be charges filed, and a jury or judge would convict?

[Renew Deal]

22. How did she know she wasn't a victim?

[marybourg]

18. Touching, even by a hand, is not a life-threatening emergency

justifying a 911 call. Ask anyone who rides a subway, or walks on a crowded city street if they call 911 every time someone touches them.

[Renew Deal]

21. The MTA says you should "call 911 immediately" for touching

During the act of sexual misconduct, look for someone who might assist (a police officer, MTA employee, store owner, etc.) and call 911.

Ask the person who appears to be the victim if they are OK, and if there is anything you can do to help. If there is, help them out.

Offer to escort the individual to the police station or another safe location.

Contact the police to report the sexual misconduct. If you witness a sexual assault and it is not safe to intervene, call 911 immediately. You do not have to give your name when you call 911. If you wish to remain anonymous or keep information confidential, tell the operator.

http://web.mta.info/sexual_misconduct

[marybourg]

24. Incidental touching is NOT sexual misconduct.

If it were, the NYPD would have to be 7 million strong

[magicarpet]

6. Racist who find Black folks so disgusting and vile...

.... that they think they should be shot. Just call the police with some contrived act of criminality hoping the police will show up and shoot the black person dead. Even though in actuality no crime was committed and no valid reason exists for the police to have been called.

White people Fascist racist privilege,.. remove the vision of Black people from society so White Nazis don't have to put up with seeing them walk about freely without being bounded, chained, and whipped every second of the day.

That is the justice Nazis expect, deserve, and demand.

[greymattermom]

8. So when these folks get their names in the paper

are they embarrassed or proud?

[FSogol]

9. They probably just continue to play the victim. n/t

[Oneironaut]

15. They s/b fined, in my opinion.

They’re wasting police resources with garbage calls. It’s no different than people who create hoaxes and cause rescuers to risk their lives for made up stories. Make the caller pay a set fine plus a rate for police manpower required for the call.

[RobinA]

17. Sorry

I think nonsense 911 calls are a cost of doing business. Unless it's some kind of, "Do you have Prince Albert in a can" call, you have to take it seriously. People do weird stuff, they get themselves into weird jams, they just plain are weird sometimes. And they think things are emergencies that other people wouldn't think are emergencies. AND they often aren't nice people.

This legislation is very dangerous. Calling 911 for a non-emergency gets you a fine or jail? So you're supposed to weigh whatever you think is happening versus $900 if it's not? How about all the psychotic people who dial 911? No fines, no 911 operators making decisions about the merits of the call. Bad, bad idea.

[Sgent]

25. Another issue is

there are often overlapping jurisdictions and 911 can sort out who is nearby / best able to take the call. Within a 100' radious of my house if I had an urgent but non-emergency police report to give there are 5 separate police departments that have jursidiction.