'Jeremiah's Law' Would Protect Children From False 911 Calls

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A new bill was proposed this week to protect children from becoming victims of false 911 reports after "Cornerstore Caroline" called police to mistakenly report she'd been groped by a nine-year-old boy.

Brooklyn Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte introduced "Jeremiah's Law" to the state legislature on Monday, less than two weeks after Jeremiah Harvey became the victim of a false 911 call.

"Irresponsible acts such as this can severely impact the lives of those accused as it did with Jeremiah," said Bichotte, who recently rallied outside Sahara Deli Market, where Brooklyn resident Teresa Klein mistook a brush from the boy's backpack for an unwanted sexual touch.

The proposed bill would amend New York State penal law to increase penalties for false reports against children under the age of 13. Such false reports would be considered felonies and be punishable with jail time.

"We need to take action against the spurring undertones that poison our communities." said Bichotte. "I hope that this will help to deter people from proceeding with extreme and unnecessary actions particularly against minors."

Bichotte is not the first elected official to propose stiffer penalties for false 911 reports.

State Senator Kevin Parker drafted legislation last week that would criminalize calling 911 for a non-emergency and state Senator Jesse Hamilton proposed making such 911 calls a hate crime after a self-described Trump supporter called 911 on him for campaigning in his own district.

The politicians are responding to calls from their communities that Klein face criminal charges for actions they say might have caused the nine-year-old physical harm.

Community leaders have repeatedly compared Harvey's case to that of a 14-year-old boy who was tortured and murdered in 1955 because he was falsely accused of flirting with a white woman.

"Ms. Klein's behaviors echo an ugly past in our country's history going back to the brutal torture and murder of Emmett Till," Jeremiah's Law reads.

"This provides a clear and tragic example of what can happen to children of color when they are presumed guilty by our society."

Photo by Allen Pierre courtesy of Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte's office