A city in California has declared a local state of emergency after a cyberattack crippled its digital network, impacting key public safety tools, including 911 call routing and emergency dispatch systems. According to the New York Post, officials in Suisun City, a community of roughly 30,000 residents located between San Francisco and Sacramento, reported that malicious software breached the city’s information technology systems on Friday morning.
The attack affected internal city records, municipal services, and the digital tools used for police and fire dispatching. To contain it, the city immediately shut down its entire IT network.
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“After an incident happens, there’s all the money in the world to go out and fix it,” cybersecurity expert Alex Hammerstone told NewsNation. “But before an incident happens, it’s much harder to get budget for prevention.”
City representatives emphasised that despite the computer network shutdown, public safety remains fully operational, with emergency calls getting automatically transferred to the neighbouring Solano County dispatch centre, ensuring no interruption in 911 call handling.
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Local police officers and firefighters continue to respond directly to incoming emergency calls. Meanwhile, non-emergency online services, such as permit processing and online water bill payments, remain temporarily unavailable while systems are offline.
During a special meeting on Saturday, the Suisun City Council voted unanimously to declare a State of Emergency. This procedural declaration allows the local government to access state emergency funding, secure technical resources, and request specialised assistance.
Cybersecurity experts are examining the compromised systems to safely restore municipal operations. Authorities have not publicly identified the party responsible for the incident or clarified whether a financial ransom was demanded.
