A. The supervising law enforcement official having jurisdiction in the geographical area where any hostage is held or any suspect is barricaded who has probable cause to believe that the holder of any hostage or that any suspect is committing a crime shall have the authority to order a telephone company to arrange to cut, reroute or divert telephone lines in any emergency in which any hostage is being held or any suspect is barricaded, for the purpose of preventing telephone communication by the holder of any hostage or any barricaded suspect with any person other than a peace officer or a person authorized by the peace officer.

B. The serving telephone company within the geographical area of a law enforcement unit shall designate appropriate telephone company management employees to provide, or cause to be provided, all required assistance to law enforcement officials to carry out the purposes of this section.

C. Good faith reliance on an order by a supervising law enforcement official pursuant to this section, shall constitute a complete defense to any civil or criminal action brought against a telephone company, its agents or employees, as a result of compliance with said order.

D. During any hostage or barricaded suspect situation as provided in subsection A of this section it shall be unlawful for any person to publicly disseminate, unless with the consent or at the request of the law enforcement agency of the supervising law enforcement officer, any information received from any hostage holder or barricaded suspect when a cellular telephone has been used to establish contact with such hostage holder or barricaded suspect. Every person convicted of a violation of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00).

Added by Laws 1979, c. 80, § 1, emerg. eff. April 20, 1979. Amended by Laws 1998, c. 9, § 1, eff. July 1, 1998.