Bill > A1734

Introduced Session

This bill establishes procedures for the intake and record keeping of certain 9-1-1 calls that involve a person who is believed to be suffering from an emotional or behavioral disorder. Under current law, all 9-1-1 calls are required to be answered with a response such as, "9-1-1 where is your emergency?" In dispatching emergency medical services, dispatchers are required to provide pre-arrival instructions to emergency medical service providers. Often, law enforcement officers and emergency service providers responding to a call for help are unaware that a call may involve a person with an emotional or behavioral disorder. This lack of knowledge can lead to dangerous conditions which could cause harm to the officer, emergency service provider, or the person with an emotional or behavioral disorder. It is the sponsor's belief that requiring 9-1-1 call-takers to ask additional questions to determine wither the call involves a person who is believed to be suffering from an emotional or behavioral disorder can protect law enforcement officers, emergency service providers, and people with an emotional or behavioral disorder. Under the bill, the public safety answering point (PSAP) call-taker of each 9-1-1 call is required to ask whether the caller believes the request for emergency services involves a person with an emotional or behavioral disorder. In dispatching emergency services, the call-taker is required to inform the PSAP or the public safety dispatch point (PSDP) dispatching the call that it is believed that the call involves a person who suffers from an emotional or behavioral disorder. The bill further requires the PSAP and PSDP to maintain a record of every 9-1-1 call that the caller or call-taker believes involves a person who suffers from an emotional or behavioral disorder. In dispatching emergency services, if feasible based on the individual agency's technical capabilities, the call-taker is required to review any available call history associated with the caller, telephone number, or address to determine whether the caller, telephone number, or address was previously associated with a person believed to be suffering from an emotional or behavioral disorder. Whenever possible and practicable, the PSAP and PSDP are required to inform the emergency service provider of that call history. In addition, the bill requires the Division of State Police and every county and municipal police department or force to maintain a record of the division's and the department's or force's response to any call or incident that involves a person who is believed to be suffering from an emotional or behavioral disorder. Whenever possible and practicable, any historical information provided to a law enforcement officer by the division, department or force upon dispatch is required include information concerning whether the subject or location of the dispatch was previously associated with a person believed to be suffering from an emotional or behavioral disorder.

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Angela Mcknight (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee (on 01/14/2020)