Chronic abuser of 9-1-1 system has been identified; charges expected

By The Star Staff

The 9-1-1 Emergency System has identified an individual who has made more than 12,000 fraudulent calls to the emergency service since January, System Director Manuel González Azcuy said Tuesday.

The Department of Justice and the Department of Public Safety’s legal division are now handling the matter.

González Azcuy said it is the only serious case of system abuse they have, although from time to time there may be cases of children who misuse the emergency line or older adults who call due to ignorance or because they feel alone.

“We do get non-emergency calls and that is where we are trying to get the number down,” the official said, stressing that the 9-1-1 Emergency System has the capacity to save life and property. “They use the lines, of course; thank God we have enough communicators to serve people.”

“It’s the same number and [the man does it] to annoy,” he said about the person who calls constantly. “He is a person who intentionally calls to annoy and that person will receive the weight of the law.”

“It’s an incredible thing,” González Azcuy said. “We have already reached the limit and we are working on this case.”