Assembly Bill 1275 will improve our 9-1-1 system by eliminating a threat to our privacy, and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of our emergency system. Together we can improve public safety in our community and make sure our tax dollars go farther.

I recently introduced AB 1275, which will ensure that a person’s name, address, phone number and medical information cannot be released following an emergency 9-1-1 call. My bill is based on my 18 years as a 9-1-1 dispatcher and three years as the chair of the Assembly Select Committee on 9-1-1 Service and Public Safety Communications. It is the next step in my effort to improve our emergency contact system.

This bill is not about protecting celebrities, promoting government secrecy or precluding public oversight of the actions of 9-1-1 dispatchers.

It has certainly received a great deal of attention from the medial unfortunately, most of it came before the bill was even written. Let’s be clear, my legislation will improve oversight of the 9-1-1 system, make it more efficient and protect the identity of callers.

It’s wrong that our private information can be released to anyone who requests it, broadcast on television and radio, and printed in newspapers so long as it’s associated with a 9-1-1 call. As we all know, even when we pick up our prescriptions that information is protected by federal laws and its release would lead to prosecution in any other scenario. It is long past due that we eliminate this loophole that makes a 9-1-1 emergency medical call fair game and open to release with impunity. We call 9-1-1 when we are at our most vulnerable. We need to make sure that people don’t start delaying those calls, or stop calling altogether out of a concern over their own privacy.

It’s clear that any government agency needs to be constantly reviewed to ensure that this service is being provided efficiently and effectively.

That is something I’ve been fighting for over 18 years. I began this effort while still a dispatcher at LAPD, when I successfully led a push to hire more bilingual dispatchers. This came as a result of a call from a little girl that took 20 minutes to answer because there were not enough bilingual dispatchers. By the time I answered the call, all that I could hear was her begging her uncle not to kill her, the thud of her head hitting the wall and the subsequent shots that took her life. The media tried to get the tapes of that call, but fortunately the police detective on the case convinced a judge to bar its release. It should not take a restraining order to protect the privacy of people who are at their most vulnerable.

Other states have taken action. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “Six states – Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wyoming – keep the entire content of 9-1-1 call recordings confidential. Five other states – Georgia, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina and South Dakota – place some restrictions on the release of 9-1-1 calls or the information contained in them.” But here in California, anyone can request a copy of any 9-1-1 call which means that our identities and medical information is at risk.

California can join these six states in completely prohibiting the release of all 9-1-1 calls. Or we can take the more measured approach of AB 1275 and protect our personal and medical information. What do you think?

I want to hear from you.

Assemblywoman Norma J. Torres, D-Chino, is chair of the Assembly Select Committee on 9-1-1 Service and Public Safety Communications and represents the 61st District, which includes Chino, Montclair and Ontario.

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