Dial 911 and die: The truth about 911 dispatchers who willfully keep people in harm's way

Friday, September 13, 2013 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: 911 dispatchers, deadly crime, response time

(NaturalNews) If ever there was a time for you and your family to learn how to be self-sufficient or, at least, as self-sufficient as possible, these are the times for it. A sad story out of Detroit, the poster child of failed government, is a prime example.

According to MyFoxDetroit affiliate WJBK, city Police Chief James Craig has suspended a pair of 911 dispatchers for delaying sending officers to separate calls, including one that resulted in a death.

'If they would have come right away...'

Per WJBK:

Craig said...that the suspensions are without pay and that he is seeking criminal charges against a dispatcher who did not immediately send a patrol car to reports of an argument on the city's east side.

The affiliate reported that a woman who was in fear of her life during a dispute called 911 half a dozen times, but for some inexplicable reason the dispatcher waited for over an hour before giving the dispatch to officers.

When officers finally did arrive, the woman had been shot by a man with a military-style semi-automatic rifle. Now she is lying in a Detroit hospital in critical condition.

It wasn't as though there was no one to respond; Craig said units were available when the women made her call.

"If they would've come right away, this incident wouldn't have happened," the victim's cousin told the local TV affiliate.

In addition to furloughing the dispatchers, Craig said Todd Bettison, who was head of the Detroit PD's Communications Center, was demoted to an inspector in the city's Northeastern District.

In May, a Detroit woman was fatally stabbed after she dialed 911 and a police cruiser failed to arrive on the scene for an hour and a half. In that case, the dispatcher has since been charged with misconduct.

"Status quo, complacency, mediocrity will not be accepted," said Craig. "We're in the business of saving lives and certainly our inaction if it results in critical injury and death is problematic and unacceptable."

It is a sad but sobering axiom: When you face an armed intruder or attacker, don't worry - the police are just minutes away. Minutes, of course, that you don't have.

So it's not just Detroit, as broken as that city is. No, dialing 911 all across the country in similar-sized cities is risky.

Citing FBI statistics, Michael Geer of The American Thinker reported in January that the average police response time for larger cities is an astounding 11 minutes, 11 seconds.

'Can I count on you?'

Moreover, he notes, citing the U.S. Bureau of Justices Statistics' report, "Percent distribution of incidents where police came to the victim, by police response time and type of crime", when crimes of violence are being committed, police response came within five minutes in less than one-third of the time (31 percent). In 24.5 percent of the time, responses came within six-10 minutes; in 32.4 percent of the time, responses came between 11 minutes and one hour. Within a day, 6.5 percent of the time.

Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke says calling 911 is a bad option and urged Milwaukee residents to arm themselves and take certified firearms classes. In a radio commercial earlier this year, Clarke urged residents to skip dialing 911 and defend themselves, if need be [http://bcove.me]:

I'm Sheriff David Clarke and I wanna talk to you about something personal: Your safety. It's no longer a spectator sport, and I need you in the game. But are you ready? With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option. You could beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back. But are you prepared?

Clarke then urges residents to consider taking a firearms course so they can carry concealed.

"You have a duty to protect yourself and your family. We're partners now. Can I count on you?" he says.

Sources:

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com

http://www.americanthinker.com

http://bcove.me