An April Fools incident last year was the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back? for Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh, and prompted him to seek an amendment to the General Offenses Ordinance.
A man ‘fooled? his wife into believing he had been stabbed, prompting her to dial 911 and request police and medical assistance when none was needed.
When the department attempted to seek prosecution, the lawsuit was thrown out due to the ordinance’s wording. Thus, the amendment to Ordinance 6.13 was voted on and accepted during a September Village Council meeting.
Narsh said that with the previous ordinance’s wording, the prosecutor had to prove state-of-mind when the call was made. The amendment, however, changes the ordinance from ‘specific intent? to ‘general intent,? making the case easier to prosecute in court.
When a false call is placed into the 911 system, it not only ties up the phone lines and possibly prevents a ‘real? call from being answered, it also costs money for units to respond to a location.
According to Narsh, the new amendment is only used in case of abuse to the 911 system. ‘We don’t prosecute accidents,? he said.