HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance No. 19576ORDINANCE N0. 19576
AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING IMPROPER USE OF EMERGENCY
TELEPHONE SYSTEM; ADDING SECTIONS 4.900, 4.902, AND
4.904 TO THE EUGENE CODE, 1971; AMENDING SECTION
4.990 OF THAT CODE; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
THE CITY OF EUGENE DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1, Sections 4,900, 4,902, and 4,904 are hereb added to the
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Eugene Cade, 1971, to provide:
4.900 Emer enc Tele hone S stem - Pur ose. The cit council finds t
they ~ y hat
e has been deliberate and knowing use of 9-1-1 tele hone lines
for the pur ose of initiatin a p
p g false report, placing a prank cal 1 ar making
a request for emergency services where there exists no true emer enc and
that Public 5afet Answerin P ' g y'
Y g o~nts ~PSAPs} within Lane County and the city
experience repeated calls from c~t~zens for emergency services when there
exists no true emergency. Responding to such unlawful re uests for serv'
q ices
requires the use of personnel and equipment such that the are not avail b
for res onse i n t y a l e
p he event,of a true emergency. The purpose of sections 4,900
to 4.904 of this chapter is to reduce such abuse and deliberate misuse
of the
9-1-1 emergency telephone system and emergency services rovided b
ublic safet ~ p y the
p y agencies of Lane County and the city to ensure the availabilit
of 9-1-1 and other emer enc tale hone lin ~ y
9 y p es for the reporting of true emerw
genc~es ~n order,that,personnel and equipment may be available for use in
true emergency s~tuat~ons, which will conserve ever and resources
gY and re-
duce costs,
4.902 Emer enc Tele hone S stem - Definitions. For ur oses of s '
4.900 to 4 ~ p p ect~ons
.904, the,fvllawing terms are defined as follows:
Automatic d~a1~n and announcin device. An electronicall -
or mechanicall -o erated ins ~ ~ y
y p trument which automatically dials tele-
phone numbers ~t has been programmed to dial and which la s a
rerecorded mesa e p y
p g when answered,
Automatic rotection device. An electronically or mechani-
cally operated instrument that automaticall si nals
y g or sends by
any means tinclud~ng direct or ~nd~rect connection to re ular tele-
hone lines ictur g
p } p es, sound, actor or a prerecorded messa e, either
b va~ce ar other ~ g
y a1 arm, from a protected premises upon receipt of
a stimul us from a sensory detection apparatus, Automatic ratec-
tion devices shall i ~ ~ ~ p
ncl ude any aud~ bl a ai arm or 1 ~ ght s ~ gnal ~ ng
device attached to the interior or exterior of a rotected remises.
p p
Emer enc . Any s~ tuat~ on why ch ~ nval vas an immed~ ate threat to
property or persons.
Intentional) As defined in ORS 161,085.
Knowin 1 As defined in ORS 161.085.
9 ~-~. Three-digit telephone number assigned for use b the
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Ordinance - 1
public in reporting an emergency situation or summoning emergency
assistance from a public safety agency.
Public safet a enc . Any sheriff, police, fire or emergency
medical entity operated by the state, county or cit within Lane
C y
aunty.
4.904 Emer enc Tele hone S stem - Im ra er Use. A person commits the
crime of improper use of emergency telephone system by;
~a} Knowingly or intentionally dialing the 9-1-1 number for
any purpose other than to report an event which the caller reason-
ably be] ieves to be an emergency;
fib} Knowingly or intentionally programming and activating an
automatic dialing and announcing device or an automatic protection
device which results i n the transmission of a prerecorded messa e
to a ubl i c safet g
p y agency via 9-1-1;
. .~c} ,Knowingly allowing their telephone equipment to be used
~n v~olat~an of ~a} or fib} above.
Section 2. Section 4.990 of the Eugene Code, 1971, is amended b addin
y ~
a new Subsection X14} thereto, to provide:
4.990
X14} Violation of section 4.904 is punishable by fine not to ex-
ceed $500 or confinement in jail not to exceed thirty days, or both fine and
imprisonment.
Section 3, That the matters contained herein concern the ublic health
p ,
welfare and safety and therefore, an emergency is hereb declared to exist
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and this Ordinance shall become effective immediately u vn its assn e b the
p p g y
City Caunci 1 and approval by the Mayor.
Passed by the City Council this
lit day of September, 1988
;.
i y Recorder
Approved by the Mayor this
12th da~ Septemb~r,~1988
ayor
ordinance - 2