Those who abuse the 911 system in Sturgeon Bay could get fined $200 under a new ordinance being proposed.
The city currently doesn't have such an ordinance and Sturgeon Bay Police Captain Dan Brinkman says that needs to change.
Brinkman says bogus 911 calls have been an off-and-on problem for years but an incident a few weeks ago sparked his interest. Brinkman says an intoxicated person called 911 and repeatedly asked very basic questions.
Brinkman says the ordinance is not intended to address things like a child playing with a phone or someone mistakenly dialing 911.
The proposed ordinance would prohibit using the 911 line for "regular non-emergency calls" or "to report an emergency, knowing that the fact or situation reported does not exist."
Violators would be subject to a $200 fine for a first offense and a $300 fine for the second offense and each subsequent one, plus court costs.
The proposed ordinance has been passed by the Community Protection & Services Committee and next heads to the City Council.
