A city ordinance barring misuse of 911 is set to take effect in Scottsdale on Aug. 1.
Scottsdale officials want to keep 911 available to report true emergencies and crime.
But they say there’s a small group of people who intentionally misuse the system over and over.
“Maybe it's a party in your neighborhood. And there is a parking issue now in your neighborhood. But it's not causing an immediate hazard,” said Officer Aaron Bolin, spokesman for the Scottsdale Police Department.
He also said if you have time to look up the non-emergency number, the situation is probably not a crisis.
“Maybe your neighbor’s home, the weeds are too tall, or something like that. It might be another nuisance issue, but it's not truly an emergency,” he said.
Those who misuse 911 could have to pay for the response.
Whether someone abuses 911 comes down to whether they have a reasonable belief they’re experiencing a crisis.
“But if again, you’re looking for directions, or you want to complain about city services, or the condition of the roadway or some other matter that is not an emergency, it is a crime, that goes into effect Aug. 1,” Bolin said.
Scottsdale emergency dispatchers receive about 100,000 calls per year.
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