California City Declares Emergency After Cyberattack Hits 911 System

The city of Suisun City, California, home to 29,518 residents, has declared a state of emergency after a cyberattack disabled computer systems, including 911 call routing. The city council made the decision on Saturday, according to local authorities.

Malicious software infected the city's IT infrastructure at approximately 5:45 a.m. on Friday. The incident disrupted critical public safety operations: police and fire dispatch, records systems, and city services. Officials stressed there is no immediate threat to the public, and all emergency response services remain operational.

To contain the threat and preserve evidence for a federal investigation, the city took its computer network offline. Suisun City dispatchers now handle calls through the Solano County dispatch center. Police officers and firefighters continue responding to calls, but online city services and internal operations are unavailable.

In a Facebook statement, the city said it is working with federal, state, and regional agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the California Office of Emergency Services, to maintain emergency services, investigate the incident, and restore systems.

This is not the first such case in the region this year. Foster City and Pittsburg also suffered cyberattacks earlier. In March, Foster City declared a state of emergency after a ransomware attack halted many services for over a week. In February, Pittsburg lost nearly $1 million to a phishing attack, though more than half of the funds were recovered.