Sedalia officials say 911 harassment ordinance yields results

SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

City officials say an anti-harassment ordinance implemented by the city of Sedalia has reduced the number of non-emergency harassment calls to 911.

This ordinance was approved in August 2023 to stop telephone harassment of public safety agencies.

Pettis County Joint Communications had been dealing with a stream of harassment through repetitive nonemergency calls, city officials said at the time. The callers would become argumentative, and at times harass and threaten operators in nonemergency situations. 

ABC 17 spoke with Sedalia Mayor Andrew Dawson and he said, "We even had one case where we had an active fire going on and we had an individual call in tying up the emergency line with a non-emergency and even got a little belligerent whenever the dispatcher explained to them, 'hey, we're in the middle of handling the emergency' and told them, 'No, I called you all, you will stay on the line with me.'"

Warning letters were sent to habitual offenders and the calls dropped almost immediately, 911 communications director Dannelle Lauder said recently.

Dawson said after mailing the notices, the city has not had to fine anyone or threaten jail time. "They've stayed within those limits, which I think that also goes to kind of show and demonstrate that these people were knowingly engaging in this activity, which in my opinion, is wrong," said Dawson.

According to the city's website, the “Telephone Harassment of a Public Safety Agency” ordinance has clear definitions for what constitutes harassment and nonemergency calls and lays out penalties for those in violation.

A first offense will result in a fine, while a second offense -- within a year of the first -- may lead to jail time.

According to the update from Lauder, they have not had to give out citations of harassment. The habitual defenders still call, but the calls have been kept below the threshold for legal action.