Wasting 911’s time in Scottsdale is now a crime, and the penalties are real. Ordinance 4704 passed the City Council on July 2 and took effect August 1. It makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly use the city’s 911 system for anything other than reporting a crime or an emergency. Up to six months in jail, up to a $2,500 fine, and a court can order you to cover the full cost of whatever response your call generated. Before anyone panics, read this part. If you reasonably believed you had an emergency, you’re protected. The ordinance includes a defense for people who call in good faith, and the standard is intentional, knowing or reckless misuse. Nobody is getting charged for a judgment call. Scottsdale’s communications center answers close to 100,000 calls a year. The city says the problem isn’t the average resident, it’s a small group of people who call again and again about things that were never emergencies. Officer Aaron Bolin’s examples were a par...