Nashville, TN- An amendment to the Emergency Communications District
law went into effect July 1, 2007, creating a new Class A misdemeanor
for placing aggravated false 911 calls. If the caller makes repeated
false 911 calls or if a false call creates a delay in responding to an
emergency or results in harm to a person or property, a caller could be
charged with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $2500 fine and
up to 364 days in jail.
Previously, all false calls to 911 were punishable as Class C
misdemeanors, the lowest misdemeanor penalty under Tennessee law,
subject to a $50 fine and up to 30 days in jail. Under the new law, the
penalty increases to Class A for repeated calls and calls resulting in
delay or harm while all other calls remain Class C misdemeanors.
The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board (TECB) voted unanimously
to pursue legislation that would impose a penalty severe enough to deter
this behavior and to give more incentive to prosecutors to prosecute the
individuals who are engaging in this type of behavior. Senator Thelma
Harper and Representative Ulysses Jones sponsored the legislation (SB
1945/HB 1998).
The TECB was created by the General Assembly to assist ECDs boards of
directors in the areas of management, operations, and accountability,
and establishing emergency communications for all citizens of the state.