Southwick

Police Department

Harassing or Obscene

Telephone Calls

Massachusetts General Law c.269 s.14A

 Annoying, harassing, hang-up, or obscene telephone calls are becoming more and more common today even with advanced technology in communications, such as Caller ID and dialing *69. Today, we're able to trace a phone call back to the caller by pressing a couple of buttons on your telephone. This is an excellent tool for the homeowner and law enforcement to identify the caller.

These types of calls are evident in bad relationships, the breakup of a relationship, a disgruntled employee, unhappy customer, a neighbor and the like. The caller has a sole purpose to annoy or harass. There is a solution and these types of calls can be stopped.

In Massachusetts, MA General Law c. 269 s. 14A is the chapter and section that one can be charged with for annoying or obscene telephone calls. There are 3 elements to the law that must be met. The person repeatedly made telephone calls or caused telephone calls to be made (at least 3 calls), to the victim or the victim's family and the person's language was indecent or obscene, or the person's sole purpose was to harass or molest the victim or the victim's family. Penalty: Misdemeanor.

INITIAL STEPS TO TAKE:
Before contacting the phone company, to put a trace on your line, you may want to change your telephone number to an unlisted non-published number. If you have to give out your new unlisted number, give it to people you know. This can be an inconvenience but it's one of the first steps to see if the calls continue. If the calls continue and you've only told a few people your new number or you've given it to personnel at your place of employment, you're on the right track on narrowing down who may be responsible.

Some people cannot afford to change their phone number and their only action is to trace the calls.

TRACING PHONE CALLS:
Verizon provides the following service that helps put an end to annoying and obscene phone calls by tracing the last incoming call. It provides essential information to authorities if an investigation is required. (There is a fee for tracing phone calls)

to trace a phone call;

2. Press *57 or for rotary phone dial 1157.

3. An announcement will tell you the call was traced and give you further instructions.

You will not receive the number from Verizon.
The results of a successful trace will only be provided to the police or other legal authorities.

How do I find out who's making the phone calls?
Southwick Police will investigate annoying phone calls within the Southwick area only. If you're getting these phone calls it is requested that you call the Unlawful Call Bureau, UCB, (formerly the Annoyance Call Bureau) and open up a case. The Unlawful Call Bureau will provide you with further instructions. The phone company will not provide the police with any information until you have opened a case with them, unless it is an extreme emergency.

Next, contact the Southwick Police and speak to a police officer  to file a complaint regarding annoying phone calls. After providing the officer with your information, obtain the POLICE CASE NUMBER. You may need this case number for the phone company.

 The UCB will send the investigating police officer a report and the list of numbers traced. The information provided will be the telephone number, the address where the call was placed from, and the person's name the phone number is listed to.

The officer will contact you (victim/reporting party) and tell you the date and time of the call, the address where the call originates from and who the phone number belongs to. If, after hearing the person's name and address, further investigation is needed the officer will assist you.

Once you close a case with the UCB and the calls persist, you must call them again to open up another case.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
No conversation is necessary. It does not matter whether the person had a conversation with the victim, only that the person made the telephone calls OR had them made.

It must be proved that the person's only purpose was to annoy, harass or molest, unless the person used obscene language. If a person makes repeated telephone calls in a short period of time, or in the middle of the night, and hangs up when someone answers the phone, it is reasonable to infer that the calls were made for the purpose of harassment.

Verizon customers call 1-800-518-5507 or
contact your local phone company
for the Unlawful Call Center.

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