Watch the Cell Phone Service Providers jump in to Capitalize on this new 'Revenue Stream' in 3...2...1...

Gen I suspected this might be a problem early on so I bought a burner exactly for this reason. $10 buys you a phone at 7-11 w/ 20 minutes of airtime 60 days of service and unlimited 911 calls. If you have to report a crime call pull the battery and crush the SIM card. Funny how concerned citizens need to resort to the same tactics as drug dealers but what ever it takes to stay one step ahead of the game.

I thought you could call 911 from a cell phone without a call plan. Just use an old cell phone that you pick up from salvation army to make your 911 call. Problem solved. Screw you Tracy, Ca.!

File this under the WTF?? category....

I'm all for charging people who phone in false emergencies and/or prosecuting them for wasting resources on wild goose chases, but this is absurd.

This strikes at the very core of what taxes are supposed to be used for. Taxes are not supposed to be a mechanism for redistribution of wealth, not a mechanism for subsidizing illegal immigration, not a way for government to pick winners and losers(e.g. solar power or corn ethanol, which despite outrageous subsidies for decades still looks to be useful never).

The very core thing that taxes are intended for is exactly emergency services, defence, the criminal justice system, the police. All this other stuff is just fluff that has been added later.

The breakdown of the core services of government has just begun. When a few more jurisdictions start this, then no one will call 9-1-1.

What I don't understand is why they'd bill the caller? That's absolutely insane. The person getting the services, if only for medical should get the hit, not the good samaritan caller. As a matter of fact, under "Good Samaritan" law, I think charging someone for it might be unconstitutional.

In some 9-1-1 centers, there's already been cases of fake calls done by certain parties to move the stats up so funding can be maintained.

The repercussions of this idiocy are going to be massive. Under the new concept of unified emergency communications, 9-1-1 was essentially going be the primary human audio intelligence input channel for all government, which included Homeland Security, FEMA, National Guard, US Military, etc. all gathered as event situation systems data to then be analyzed under the Fusion Center concept. Making this a fee basis will absolutely destroy our ability to gather crucial early intelligence of a terrorist attack.

Obongo must be proud.

Use a prepaid phone

"Think Inside The Triangle" is Tracy, California> http://www.ci.tracy.ca.us/ourstory/ < Uh! Sure!

Nuke_engineer wrote..

As a matter of fact, under "Good Samaritan" law, I think charging someone for it might be unconstitutional.

Illegal, maybe, but not unconstitutional. But yes, a "caller pays" system for emergency services is asinine; "victim/criminal pays" is much more intelligent.

Karma would dictate, of course, that one of the Tracy, CA city commissioners get into a horrible auto accident and none of the witnesses call it in because of the fee.

I once was driving down the freeway in rush hour and came upon a blind curve where someone had inadvertently dumped a bunch of hay bales. I nearly crashed into the guy next to me and watched as people behind me nearly ate it also. I then dialed 911.

Next time, it's everyone for himself, I guess, cause I sure don't have that kind of bucks.

The Law of Unintended Consequences.

How can people be so stupid? Just unbelievable. Tracy is going to pay dearly for their stupidity in cleaning up unnecessary accidents. And BIG lawsuits. What dumb****s.

Wear,

I mean state constitutions based on English, not Napoleonic law.

Nuke, my bad. These days, it's too easy to forget that states have constitutions as well.

And when there is lower call volume, they can sell phone sex, as well.
YOu sure can't fix stoopid.

Hotdrop, ALL cell phones, activated or not, SIM card inserted or not, can dial 911.

That's been federal law for a LOOOOONG time and still is.

This story is wrong I suspect. We have this in some areas here.

I would also suspect that if you asked someone from the city and not a union fire fighter you might find out that...

1. The fee is for residents only. (so no you will not get charged to call from your cell phone to report that accident)

2. The fee is applied to medical emergencies in which you are treated but not transported. Typically applies to Advanced life support treatments. (even we do this here where I work).

3. This fee is in place because the fire department insist on responding to every call. Yes, even to help granny back into bed.

Now, I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Here is the deal. If you want to reduce your Fire budget, stop running a million dollar engine to every damn call. Send your ambulance only. (Oh wait.. if you do that you can't justify huge department). I would also like to know how many paramedics is on each engine. I suspect more than one.

I am going to go out on a limb here and cry foul. Only because I work in the business and see this stuff happen all the time.

The cities have put up with it and allowed these union departments to grow because they were so high on the cash coming in. Now that the tax base is gone, they are finding ways to solve the problem without really trying to solve the problem.

Puts a whole new meaning into loaning someone your cell phone.

Cell phone carriers can't charge for 9-1-1 calls, and the calls must ride the transport as high-priority internal non-ESN connections. That's why new and old equipment that has unactivated or deactivated ESNs can still work. They already make their money by charging customers for 9-1-1 under a separate 9-1-1 fee for active landline and wireless customers.

There's 3 cases of communications carriers already not giving the local jurisdictions their share of 9-1-1 picked up through the federal and state Emergency Communications fees.

In many jurisdictions, there is no legal instrument for the local jurisdiction to create a way to charge back the caller. This will require the fee to be picked up at the 9-1-1 call or via a non-criminally adjudicated fine, which will make for an interesting legal situation.

Aside from helping others, it'll be really funny if a terrorist plot that could have been averted by a 911 call, gets pulled off.

This should make those that think that Homeland Security is really about security in the homeland........reconsider their beliefs on the subject.

unreal!!

On the same line, in some Western states (Colorado and Utah, at least), if you get your ass in trouble and Search and Rescue has to rescue you, whether you asked for it or not, you're liable for repaying the costs. But, for a mere 5 bucks, you can buy insurance from the state that will cover it. A pretty nice racket, since very few ever have to be rescued. I used to be on SAR, and these costs can be pretty high, especially when you get into heli rescues.

KD,

See if the Mayor is available for comment.

BTW, is there anyone here that lives in a Rural Metro District? That is a fee based department. They can verify that is how this is done in their area as well.

"Hello! Hello, Operator?!?!

There is a Man with an Assault Rifle on the-

My what? My My Credit Card Number??!

.

-click-"