A project submitted in Legislatura de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires proposes to toughen sanctions against the misuse of the public emergency system. The initiative is especially aimed at repeated false calls, reports, or alerts that cause the unnecessary deployment of police, ambulances, firefighters, or other resources. The text still needs to go through legislative processing.
The file 2496-D-2026, submitted by legislator Sandra Mónica Rey proposes to amend article 81 of Código Contravencional. For false communication without reason that generates unnecessary mobilization, it provides for fines ranging from 500 to 1,900 fixed units or, alternatively, from 5 to 15 days of public utility work.
The proposal establishes a harsher scale when the behavior is repeated. If a person makes three or more calls without reason, the penalty could rise to between 2,000 and 5,000 fixed units, add public service work of 10 to 30 days, and apply arrest from 10 to 30 days. For anyone who intentionally obstructs the service, it contemplates fines of 450 to 2,500 fixed units and arrest from 2 to 10 days.
The project incorporates aggravating factors related to the purpose and effect of the maneuver. Penalties could be increased to the legal maximum if the alerts are used to harass, intimidate, or persecute a person; if they are repeatedly directed against a home; or if they aim to harm a business, a company, a school, a social organization, or a public agency.
It is also considered an aggravating factor if the complaint causes the actual displacement of the agencies or demonstrably affects the response capacity of the system. Through a new article 81 bis, the competent authority should refer cases with repeated patterns to Ministerio Público Fiscal to determine whether, in addition to a violation, there may be a crime or another infraction and to establish responsibilities.
The enforcement authority would have to implement analysis and detection mechanisms while respecting constitutional guarantees and personal data protection regulations. The rationale is to prevent limited resources from being diverted from real emergencies. For now, the scales of fines, community service, and arrest are proposed provisions: they are not in force and will depend on the discussion and approval of the Buenos Aires Legislature.
