ASSEMBLY, No. 140

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblyman JONES

 

 

An Act concerning certain false emergency calls and amending N.J.S.2C:33-3.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. N.J.S.2C:33-3 is amended to read as follows:

    2C:33-3. False Public Alarms. a. Except as provided in subsection b. or c., a person is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree if he initiates or circulates a report or warning of an impending fire, explosion, bombing, crime, catastrophe or emergency knowing that the report or warning is false or baseless and that it is likely to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transport, or to cause public inconveniences or alarm. A person is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree if he knowingly causes such false alarm to be transmitted to or within any organization, official or volunteer, for dealing with emergencies involving danger to life or property.

    b. A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if in addition to the report or warning initiated, circulated or transmitted under subsection a., he places or causes to be placed any false or facsimile bomb in a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transport or in a place likely to cause public inconvenience or alarm.

    c. A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if a violation of subsection a. of this section in fact results in serious bodily injury to another person. A person is guilty of a crime of the second degree if a violation of subsection a. of this section in fact results in death.

    d. For the purposes of this section, "in fact" means that strict liability is imposed.

    e. A person is guilty of a disorderly persons offense if the person knowingly places a call to a 9-1-1 emergency telephone system without purpose of reporting the need for 9-1-1 service.

(cf: P.L.1994, c.115, s.1)

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill would provide that a person who knowingly places a call to a 9-1-1 emergency telephone system without purpose of reporting the need for 9-1-1 service is guilty of a disorderly persons offense. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment not to exceed six months or a fine not to exceed $1000 or both.

 

 

 

Criminalizes placement of false calls to 9-1-1 system as a disorderly persons offense.