Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Scott Rudder and Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego to establish the crime of initiating a false Amber Alert was voted out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee this morning.
“A false Amber Alert results in a significant waste of law enforcement resourses and substantial costs to local communities, and it minimizes the benefit of the warning system,” said Assemblyman Rudder, who testified during this morning’s committee meeting. “This bill assures there will be a severe price to pay for making a false report.”
The legislation makes it a fourth degree crime to initiate an erroneous Amber Alert. The crime is punishable by up to 18 months in prison, a fine of $10,000, or both.
Assemblyman Rudder and Assemblywoman Addiego drafted the bill last year, following a highly publicized case in Pennsylvania. In that incident, the woman, Bonnie Sweeten, called police to report that her SUV had been hit from behind, and that she and her 9-year-old daughter has been kidnapped by “two black men” driving a Cadillac. She claimed that the two of them were locked in the truck of the car, but they were later found safe at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
“The system is in place for emergencies, and it is intolerable for anyone to misuse resources and to mislead the public with a false report,” said Assemblywoman Addiego. “For the Amber Alert warnings to effectively stop abductions and save lives, the information must be credible and reliable. Anything less undermines the effectiveness of the Alert.”
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September 1, 2011
