Report Title:

Appropriation; Non-Emergency Reporting System

Description:

Appropriates funds to the Honolulu police department for the development costs of a 311 non-emergency reporting system.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

637

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

Making an APPROPRIATION for development of a NON-EMERGENCY REPORTING SYSTEM, known as 3-1-1.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The Honolulu police department operates the 9-1-1 emergency phone system for Oahu, which handles over 1,000,000 calls annually, including calls for police, ambulance, and fire. The 9-1-1 system handles all calls for emergency services, as well as non-emergency calls (estimated at sixty-five to seventy-five per cent of all 9-1-1 calls). Examples of non-emergency calls received by the 9-1-1 system include abandoned vehicles, noise, and animal complaints.

The legislature finds that non-emergency calls to the 9-1-1 system challenge the limited resources of the Honolulu police department's communications division causing staffing shortages and equipment failures. Additionally, the volume of calls to the 9-1-1 system is expected to rise with the increase in the island's population and the growing prevalence of cellular phones.

Non-emergency calls frequently overwhelm available 9-1-1 operators, resulting in a backlog of emergency 9-1-1 calls awaiting dispatch to the appropriate emergency personnel.

The Honolulu police department is currently developing a non-emergency report system, known as 3-1-1, to relieve the 9-1-1 system of non-emergency phone calls. The legislature further finds that a 3-1-1 report system is necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.

The purpose of this Act is to provide a grant-in-aid appropriation to the Honolulu police department to develop a non-emergency 3-1-1 report system.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, for a grant-in-aid to the Honolulu police department for the development of a non-emergency reporting system, known as 3-1-1, to include:

(1) A 3-1-1 call section to receive non-emergency phone requests for assistance;

(2) A Honolulu police department web site to provide an on-line form to be filled out by the public;

(3) District station police personnel to handle phone-in and walk-in requests for non-emergency services;

(4) Improved 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 information in telephone directories to instruct the public on usage of the phone systems; and

(5) An educational program on 3-1-1 non-emergency reporting.

The 3-1-1 reporting system shall also include a plan for levying a surcharge by the city and county of Honolulu that shall be assessed on every 3-1-1 phone line, whether land line or wireless, to fund the development and operations of the 3-1-1 reporting system. The surcharge shall be collected by the telephone companies and deposited into a separate account to the order of the Honolulu police department, communications division, to be expended strictly for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the city and county of Honolulu police department for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.

INTRODUCED BY:

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