states it was done to “reduce the number of false requests for emergency services and the misuse of the 911 emergency response system, which can risk public safety and deplete City resources.”
“For the past two years, the Issaquah Police 911 Dispatch Center - which handles emergency and non-emergency service calls for Snoqualmie, North Bend and Issaquah - has experienced a large number of harassing calls coming from within the Snoqualmie city limits," the city said. In total, 264 calls of this kind were taken by Issaquah 911 dispatchers between January 2023 and March 2024.
The new ordinance gives the Snoqualmie Police Department a tool to address and deter abuse of the 911 system and hold violators accountable, according to officials.Officials said a violation would happen when someone knowingly and repeatedly uses the city’s 911 system or accesses the Issaquah dispatch center through the non-emergency line when no emergency or reasonable need for service exists.