Esta ley enmienda la Ley Núm. 144 de 22 de diciembre de 1994, conocida como la "Ley del Sistema 9-1-1", para sustituir al Comisionado de Seguridad Pública por el Superintendente de la Policía de Puerto Rico como miembro y presidente de la Junta de Gobierno del Servicio 9-1-1. También sustituye al Director de la Defensa Civil por el Director de la Agencia Estatal para el Manejo de Emergencias y Administración de Desastres de Puerto Rico.
(Approved January 5, 2002)
To amend Sections 2 and 3 of Act No. 144 of December 22, 1994, as amended, known as the "9-1-1 Calls Act" in order for the Police Superintendent to become a member and the chairperson of the 9-1-1Service Board of Governors in substitution of the Public Safety Commissioner, and to substitute the Director of the Civil Defense with the Director of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Emergency Management and Disasters Administration Agency, and for other purposes.
Act No. 144 of December 22, 1994, as amended, known as the "9-1-1 Calls Act" was created for two purposes. The first is to provide a means to guarantee prompt access to the anguished citizen who is suffering a personal tragedy to the public safety government resource through a universal emergency telephone number to which a person may call at any time to request emergency services. The second purpose is to assure that the Public Safety Agencies shall have the resources to respond promptly and effectively as deserved by the citizenry, to the social problems our Island faces such as criminal incidence, domestic violence, child abuse and others, as well as emergencies caused by natural disasters or by man.
Section 3 of said Act No. 144 creates the 9-1-1- Service Board of Governors, which is constituted by three ex officio members: the Public Safety Commissioner, the Deputy Chief in charge of Medical Emergency Services of the Firefighters Service and the Director of the Civil Defense of
Puerto Rico. The Public Safety and Protection Commissioner acts as Chairperson of the 9-1-1- Service Board of Governors. We find that the Puerto Rico Police, in practical terms, operates as the principal security agency of the Island, and that the authority and responsibility regarding matters of public safety of the 9-1-1 Calls System should fall on it, through its Superintendent.
It is for this reason that the Legislature amends Sections 2 and 3 of said Act No. 144, in order to substitute the Public Safety Commissioner as ex officio member of the 9-1-1- Service Board of Governors with the Superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police, who shall act as its Chairperson. Furthermore, said Act No. 144 shall be harmonized with Act No. 211 of August 2, 1999, known as the " Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Emergency Management and Disasters Administration Agency Act", which repealed the Puerto Rico Civil Defense Act.
Section 1.- Subsection
(a) of Section 2 of Act No. 144 of December 22, 1994, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 2.- Definitions The following terms shall have the meaning indicated below, unless another meaning can be clearly construed from the context:
(a) Public Safety Agency - those agencies whose services are offered through the use of the "9-1-1" emergency telephone number, including, specifically, the Puerto Rico Police, the Medical Emergencies Service of the Puerto Rico Firefighters Corps, the Fire Fighters Service of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Emergency Management and
Disasters Administration Agency and the Department of the Family.
Section 2.- Paragraphs 1 and 4 of Section 3 of Act No. 144 of December 22, 1994, as amended, known as the "9-1-1 Calls Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 3.- 9-1-1 Service Board of Governors There is hereby created a body that shall be denominated as the 9-1-1 Service Board of Governors which shall be constituted by the Superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police, the Deputy Chief in charge of Medical Emergency Services of the Puerto Rico Firefighters Corps, and the Director of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Emergency Management and Disasters Administration Agency. In addition to the three ex officio members appointed herein, the Board shall be constituted by an additional member representing the public interest, who shall be selected and appointed by consensus of the ex officio members mentioned herein. The representative of the public interest shall be selected from a list of candidates supplied by the accredited or legally recognized professional institutions determined by the ex officio members, among which the Medical Association and the Engineers Association shall be counted. The professional institutions shall each nominate one candidate.
The Board of ex officio members shall take office immediately after this Act becomes effective, constituting themselves as the 9-1-1 Service executive council with all the powers granted to them by this Act, and shall proceed with the process to select the public service representative.
Without restricting the faculties and duties of the Public Safety Agencies and of the officials who constitute the Board of Governors in compliance of their ministerial duties, the Board shall be in charge of the
coordination of any joint government effort to enforce the provisions of this Act.
The Police Superintendent shall be the Chairperson and shall contract a Technical Consultant with experience in 9-1-1 technology. The Technical Consultant shall not be a voting member of the Board, but he shall be required to attend all its meetings.
Section 3.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 18 (H.B. 1920) of the $2^{ ext {nd }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to amend Sections 2 and 3 of Act No. 144 of December 22, 1994, as amended, known as the "9-1-1 Calls Act" in order for the Police Superintendent to become a member and the chairperson of the 9-1-1- Service Board of Governors in substitution of the Public Safety Commissioner, and to substitute the Director of the Civil Defense with the Director of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Emergency Management and Disasters Administration Agency, and for other purposes, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $8^{ ext {th }}$ of January of 2004.
Elba Rosa Rodríguez-Fuentes Director