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Legislators weigh new criminal offense for repeat 911 callers as dispatch centers report callers tying up resources
Summary
Sponsors of Senate Bill 60 say the measure is needed to give courts and dispatchers tools to stop repeat nuisance calls that can block emergency lines; 911 directors and police chiefs urged passage, while defense and mental‑health advocates warned criminalization could harm people with serious mental illness and clog the justice system.
Sheriff and public‑safety leaders, regional 9‑1‑1 directors and sponsors told the House Judiciary Committee that recurring nonemergency calls are tying up dispatch lines and delaying responses to real emergencies, and they backed legislation to create a narrowly defined offense for repeated misuse of emergency call systems.
Representative Clifford, a prime sponsor, described the problem as calls that flood public‑safety answering points (PSAPs) and consume dispatcher time, noting examples where one caller used multiple phones to place thousands of calls. Aurora 9‑1‑1 testified that one individual placed more than 3,800 calls in a month and was on the line for over 36 hours in October 2024; the center recorded a single day with 764 calls from that person. State communications officials and regional dispatch chiefs said those calls can delay or disrupt responses to life‑threatening events.
Supporters said the bill is meant to provide an enforcement path short of incarceration: the sponsors proposed a petty‑offense citation that can be issued at officers’…
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