Massachusetts S 968: An Act to protect the privacy of 911 callers

Bill Text

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 63        FILED ON: 1/4/2019 
SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 968 
 
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
_________________ 
PRESENTED BY: 
Jason M. Lewis 
_________________ 
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General 
 Court assembled: 
 The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: 
An Act to protect the privacy of 911 callers. 
_______________ 
PETITION OF: 
 
NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: 
Jason M. Lewis Fifth Middlesex 

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 63        FILED ON: 1/4/2019 
SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 968 
By Mr. Lewis, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 968) of Jason M. Lewis for 
legislation to protect the privacy of 911 callers.  The Judiciary. 
 
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION 
SEE SENATE, NO. 886 OF 2017-2018.] 
 
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
 
_______________
 
In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court 
(2019-2020) 
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An Act to protect the privacy of 911 callers. 
 
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority 
of the same, as follows: 
 
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 6A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the 
2following section:- 
3 Section 18M. The audio recording of a call placed to a 911 system for the purpose of 
4requesting service from a law enforcement, fire, or medical agency is private data on individuals 
5with respect to the individual making the call, except that a written transcript of the audio 
6recording is public. A transcript shall be prepared upon request. The person requesting the 
7transcript shall pay the actual cost of transcribing the call, in addition to any other applicable 
8costs for transcript preparation. The audio recording may be disseminated to law enforcement 
9agencies for investigative purposes. The audio recording may be used for public safety and 
10emergency medical services training purposes.  

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11 The release of the audio recording of a 911 telephone call without the express written 
12consent of the caller or the caller’s legal representative shall be prohibited, except pursuant to a 
13court order finding that the right of the public to the release of the recording outweighs the 
14privacy interests of the individual who made the 911 call or any person involved in the facts or 
15circumstances relating to the 911 call. This section shall not apply to law enforcement personnel 
16conducting an investigation where the 911 telephone call is or may be relevant to the 
17investigation.