Senate Bill No.435
(By Senators Mitchell, Fanning, Kessler, Minard,
Oliverio, Rowe, Facemyer and McKenzie)

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[Introduced January 29, 2002; referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary.]
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A BILL to amend article six, chapter twenty-four of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section thirteen, relating to local emergency telephone systems; providing for the confidentiality of calls received by a county answering point reporting crimes or possible criminal conduct; providing exceptions thereto; declaring all other calls nonconfidential; requiring promulgation of written policy of compliance; and requiring retention of records of calls.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article six, chapter twenty-four of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section thirteen, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6. LOCAL EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

§24-6-13. Confidentiality of certain calls to county answering points and records; retention of records.

(a) Except as provided by the provisions of this section, calls for emergency service to a county answering point are not confidential. All calls for emergency service reporting criminal conduct or alleged criminal conduct which are recorded electronically, in writing or in any other form are to be kept confidential by the county answering point receiving the call and may be released only pursuant to an order entered by a court of competent jurisdiction, a valid subpoena or through the course of discovery in a criminal action requiring the release of the information: Provided, That nothing contained in this section may be construed as preventing the county answering point from releasing information to a responding agency as may be necessary for that agency's response on a call or the completion of necessary reports relating to that call.
(b) Upon proper request and payment of a reasonable fee set by the center director to cover the cost of production, a person or entity may obtain without court order or a valid subpoena, a transcription of a call for emergency service reporting criminal conduct or alleged criminal conduct. The answering point shall exclude from the transcription any information relating to the identity of the caller including, but not limited to, the caller's name, address, telephone number or his or her location in relation to the alleged offense or the alleged perpetrator.
(c) All calls for emergency service which are recorded electronically, in writing or in any other form are to be maintained for a period of at least ninety days, or longer if required by an order entered by a court of competent jurisdiction or a valid subpoena.
(d) A county answering point may release information to bonafide law-enforcement agencies, the prosecuting attorney of a county or a United States attorney pursuant to a lawful criminal investigation. Nothing in this article may be construed as prohibiting a request under chapter twenty-nine-b of this code for information relating to the operation of the center or to calls for emergency service which do not involve reporting of criminal or alleged criminal conduct.
(e) Nothing in this article requires disclosure of any information that is: (1) Specifically exempt from disclosure by statute; or (2) records generated in relation to contacting tow service providers.
(f) Every county answering point shall, within ninety days of the effective date of this section, promulgate a written policy, available to the public, reflecting its compliance with the provisions of this section.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill

is to protect from retribution persons who call 911 to report possible criminal behavior, by limiting access to the agency records regarding the calls. Exceptions are created.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.

This bill is recommended for passage by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.