2012.02.07 - 911 Tapes Released

[Turnadot]

I've read all the relevant threads, and I feel so sick, what a monster!! Those poor babies. I can't imagine the hell the case worker must be going through right now, OMG...that poor woman, she did all she could...those sweet boys!!

 

[MsWeatherwax]

May I add another point regarding the case worker?

The one thing that JP could not have planned is the boys getting to the door one step ahead of her. For all he knew, the boys could have been holding her hands, or standing behind her. It was pure luck that she was left standing on the doorstep. The truth is, in all probability, he expected that woman to be in the house that Sunday.

So, not only is this woman dealing with being present when this horrific scene played out, she's probably also dealing with the fact that she went out on Sunday do to her job, and really shouldn't have come back. If not for dumb luck, her family would be grieving too.

As a new poster here, it's really reassuring to see the mods refusing to tolerate any bashing of this poor woman. JP always had the upper hand here. Even if she had been a 6' 4", 250lb man capable of bashing down the door, she would have been greeted on the other side with a hatchet blow. A hard as it is to accept, the only thing that would have saved those children would have been their father's incarceration before it ever got to this.

I don't think I'll listen to the 911 calls. The idea of listening to her in her moment of fear and panic makes me very uncomfortable. However, while if the operator was as rude as people say I hope he's spoken to, I still don't think he could have done much. Short of a fire truck co-incidentally passing by the end of the road, it was always going to be too late.

MOO, but the only person who deserved having to live with the pain of what happened that day is dead by his own hand.

 

[Trident]

Where is it listed that she was a "crisis worker"? Everything I've read said she was a "case worker" and that her primary job was to be on site while the children interacted normally with their parent and she took notes and observed. Not stood between them and a murderous psychopath.

Because if they had thought Josh Powell was at risk of murdering his children, he would NOT have been given that type of visitation.

How do you train a person to stop a hatchet wielding psychopathic murderer with 10 gallons of gasoline and a lighter? I'm trying to picture what type of person would have even had a tiny chance to save the kids and make it out alive. More likely anyone who would have gotten in the house would have been the 4th casualty.

The fault as I see it was on the underestimation of the system, and that's so sad because Chuck Cox said that they warned the powers that be that he was backed into a corner and they were nervous he'd harm the kids. That was when it should have gone from a home visit with someone trained to observe to NO visits pending results of his tests. I honestly don't think there would have been a situation secure enough to keep the kids safe AND interact with their father.

I can't listen to the 911 calls, I just can't. From what I read, she was frantic and she knew (backing her car out of the driveway) that something absolutely horrible was about to happen. She has my full sympathy and support. I don't know how she'll recover from this.

(Is it wrong of me to hope they publish the 911 operator's name as well?)

EXACTLY, I totally agree with most ALL of your post, except the name of the 911 operator. I've read other cases where the 911 operators were seemingly at fault - yet, is it their training? I had a recent experience, waited 1/2 hour for a 10 minute ride to the hospital, and was treated like dirt. Go figure. Maybe the ENTIRE system, from advocates, to 911, and everyone above and below, need retraining. Today's world is changing so fast maybe our support systems just haven't caught up?

 

[Trident]

WHERE, exactly, have these tapes been released, like do we have a link? I've been reading this thread, but haven't found any actual tapes. Is there a link?

 

[~n/t~]

There are the calls recorded here.

I don't believe they are complete. But they are heartbreaking.

BUMP for those looking for links

 

[Cherry Baby]

This is pure evil. And the case worker did the best thing she could do. We never know how we will react. We heard earlier she was pounding on windows and the door. Her first instinct was to try to get to the boys. And then her instinct turned to getting help. The woman really is in some serious trauma. I believe in my heart she tried her best.

I have to reiterate this. God help this poor woman. She had no idea that JP was capable of this. I pray that she gets as much mental health help as she needs, and that she has a loving circle of family and friends to surround her.

As much as I cry for those boys - I'm so angry. I'm so angry that those visits weren't kept in a neutral area, especially after that order for the further psych tests. What about that didn't raise a flag? What the heck? I just can't wrap my head around that.

 

[Talison]

Social Worker: "How long will it be?"
911 Operator: "I don't know ma'am. They have to respond to emergency, life threatening situations first."

Right. The kids being hacked to death with an axe and then blown up by their father will just have to wait while the policemen and firemen respond to important calls.

I swear the 911 operator didn't listen to a SINGLE WORD that the social worker said. He just kept making her repeat herself over and over, while two children were dying a horrible, brutal death just feet away from her. He acted like the call was just so silly, asking how she could supervise herself while she was the one visiting, as if he had just caught her in a ridiculous lie. She said Josh slammed the door in her face and wouldn't answer the door. She said she smelled gasoline. She said she was afraid for the children's lives. What else did she need to say to make him take her seriously?

I just don't even have enough tears for this.

 

[mayqueen]

BUMP for those looking for links

Thanks n/t, I was just about to do that!

To those just now listening to the tapes, #7 is the SW's first 911 call.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

To be completely frank and honest, there was nothing anyone could do from the moment JP decided he was going to do this, to the time he did this.

Everyone did their best, and while we can look back and see things we may have done differently, hindsight is always 20/20. Yes, we should look at, and examine, the series of events, but we should also always remember that we were NOT there, we did NOT have the pressure and the insanity in our faces, and we did NOT watch two children get brutally murdered by hatcheting and then explosions carried out by their father.

Josh Powell would have done this, period. It is luck, pure and simple, that we are not talking about a third murder (the S/W), or third and fourth murders (the Coxes).

I don't care how fast LE responded or didn't respond. They would never have been able to stop JP from igniting the blasts. Even if they were right outside, he would have done it.

If the 911 operator was a pure idiot, JP still would have done it.
If the 911 operator was able to send out squads right then, JP still would have done it.
If the kids had entered after the S/W, JP would have done it.
If visitation was not allowed, JP still would have done it, but at the Coxes' house.

It was gonna happen. From the moment when JP made up his mind this was how it was going to end, it was going to happen.

The responsibility of this lays only on JP. Not the social worker, and even if the 911 operator is a complete idiot, it's still not his fault. There were no actions anyone could take, even with dispatching immediately everything LE had including SWAT and HRT, that was going to stop JP.

JP was going to do what he did.

Best-
Herding Cats

This post explains my opinion on this perfectly!
Thanks HC!

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Right. The kids being hacked to death with an axe and then blown up by their father will just have to wait while the policemen and firemen respond to important calls.

I swear the 911 operator didn't listen to a SINGLE WORD that the social worker said. He just kept making her repeat herself over and over, while two children were dying a horrible, brutal death just feet away from her. He acted like the call was just so silly, asking how she could supervise herself while she was the one visiting, as if he had just caught her in a ridiculous lie. She said Josh slammed the door in her face and wouldn't answer the door. She said she smelled gasoline. She said she was afraid for the children's lives. What else did she need to say to make him take her seriously?

I just don't even have enough tears for this.

Yep he was being flippant and facetious. All that "who's on first" crap was on purpose and he was just playing with her.

At that point in time I bet anything it was a kidnapping under the law and an Amber Alert should have been issued.

Instead he will call the next available.

 

[TxLady2]

Yes. BUT. This is her job.. to be prepared for such emergencies. When there are not minutes to lose scrambling thru papers trying to find the address of the emergency. This is her job to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

She's not the FBI, she's just a social worker! How could anybody be prepared for something like that? How could she or anyone have even dreamed he would kill himself and take his kids with him, much less blow his house to kingdom come in the process! Good grief... there is no way to be prepared for anything of that magnitude!!

 

[ami]

May I add another point regarding the case worker?

The one thing that JP could not have planned is the boys getting to the door one step ahead of her. For all he knew, the boys could have been holding her hands, or standing behind her. It was pure luck that she was left standing on the doorstep. The truth is, in all probability, he expected that woman to be in the house that Sunday.

So, not only is this woman dealing with being present when this horrific scene played out, she's probably also dealing with the fact that she went out on Sunday do to her job, and really shouldn't have come back. If not for dumb luck, her family would be grieving too.

As a new poster here, it's really reassuring to see the mods refusing to tolerate any bashing of this poor woman. JP always had the upper hand here. Even if she had been a 6' 4", 250lb man capable of bashing down the door, she would have been greeted on the other side with a hatchet blow. A hard as it is to accept, the only thing that would have saved those children would have been their father's incarceration before it ever got to this.

I don't think I'll listen to the 911 calls. The idea of listening to her in her moment of fear and panic makes me very uncomfortable. However, while if the operator was as rude as people say I hope he's spoken to, I still don't think he could have done much. Short of a fire truck co-incidentally passing by the end of the road, it was always going to be too late.

MOO, but the only person who deserved having to live with the pain of what happened that day is dead by his own hand.

That's a really, really good point.

In the sick mind of JP, how would he have even anticipated that he could have shut the case worker out of the house... in all likelihood he was either planning to trick her out of the house (but really, why bother) or incapacitate her, or just kill her outright along with the children. He'd been planning this, so he had to have had some idea of how to take out the only other adult involved.

 

[Trident]

OMG - 911 operator to caseworker:

"wait a minute, you can't supervise yourself if it's a supervised visit"

I've searched all this time for a link to listen at (the other ones wouldn't work for me) and now I'm so freaking frustrated I wish I hadn't bothered.

RIP boys. I'm so sorry.

A link, a link, my kingdom (which ain't worth much) for a link.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Even if the police had arrived on scene immediately it would have not made any difference.

They would not storm the home knowing he held two hostages inside (his sons). They would have tried to set up communication with him urging him to come out.

No one is to blame for this diabolical plan except the murdering ba*tard who carried it out.

 

[suzihawk]

Right. The kids being hacked to death with an axe and then blown up by their father will just have to wait while the policemen and firemen respond to important calls.

I swear the 911 operator didn't listen to a SINGLE WORD that the social worker said. He just kept making her repeat herself over and over, while two children were dying a horrible, brutal death just feet away from her. He acted like the call was just so silly, asking how she could supervise herself while she was the one visiting, as if he had just caught her in a ridiculous lie. She said Josh slammed the door in her face and wouldn't answer the door. She said she smelled gasoline. She said she was afraid for the children's lives. What else did she need to say to make him take her seriously?

I just don't even have enough tears for this.

THIS! It's like he wasn't even bothering to write down what she was saying - making her repeat the same information over and over. Right from the beginning he was sarcastic and acting like she was a hysterical woman. I thought she was remarkably calm and collected under the circumstances. I hope he's fired or at least severely reprimanded. :furious:

God bless this poor woman.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

A link, a link, my kingdom (which ain't worth much) for a link.

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=38849&p=&n=AudioClip

 

[TxLady2]

To be completely frank and honest, there was nothing anyone could do from the moment JP decided he was going to do this, to the time he did this.

Everyone did their best, and while we can look back and see things we may have done differently, hindsight is always 20/20. Yes, we should look at, and examine, the series of events, but we should also always remember that we were NOT there, we did NOT have the pressure and the insanity in our faces, and we did NOT watch two children get brutally murdered by hatcheting and then explosions carried out by their father.

Josh Powell would have done this, period. It is luck, pure and simple, that we are not talking about a third murder (the S/W), or third and fourth murders (the Coxes).

I don't care how fast LE responded or didn't respond. They would never have been able to stop JP from igniting the blasts. Even if they were right outside, he would have done it.

If the 911 operator was a pure idiot, JP still would have done it.
If the 911 operator was able to send out squads right then, JP still would have done it.
If the kids had entered after the S/W, JP would have done it.
If visitation was not allowed, JP still would have done it, but at the Coxes' house.

It was gonna happen. From the moment when JP made up his mind this was how it was going to end, it was going to happen.

The responsibility of this lays only on JP. Not the social worker, and even if the 911 operator is a complete idiot, it's still not his fault. There were no actions anyone could take, even with dispatching immediately everything LE had including SWAT and HRT, that was going to stop JP.

JP was going to do what he did.

Best-
Herding Cats

AMEN!!! EXACTLY!!! NO ONE could have stopped this, and the SW could very well have ended up a victim as well.
Yes, the only way this could have been prevented was to never allow the visitation period. If we want to start distributing blame, then blame whoever decided he could have the boys visit in his home. But even then, he could have rigged a bomb or something and blew them all up anywhere... in a public park, fgs!!

 

[Kimberlyd125]

AMEN!!! EXACTLY!!! NO ONE could have stopped this, and the SW could very well have ended up a victim as well.
Yes, the only way this could have been prevented was to never allow the visitation period. If we want to start distributing blame, then blame whoever decided he could have the boys visit in his home. But even then, he could have rigged a bomb or something and blew them all up anywhere... in a public park, fgs!!

ITA
Evil is very hard to deal with on this earth. But, I bet he's been DEALT with by now.

 

[luckyme]

The social worker must have been in SHOCK. Give her a BREAK-sheesh.......

i had to call 911 once for a emergency and i couldnt remember my address for the life of me i started to cry. moo I was in shock. moo

 

[Dr.Fessel]

THIS! It's like he wasn't even bothering to write down what she was saying - making her repeat the same information over and over. Right from the beginning he was sarcastic and acting like she was a hysterical woman. I thought she was remarkably calm and collected under the circumstances. I hope he's fired or at least severely reprimanded. :furious:

God bless this poor woman.

It was like she got a hold of Josh when she called 911.