the two 911 calls

jadejazzkayla

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911 operator who took Amanda Berry's call under review

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2013/05/09/911-operator-who-took-amanda-berrys-call-under-review/

bbm snipped from article ==> “While the call-taker complied with policies and procedures which enabled a very fast response by police, we have noted some concerns which will be the focus of our review, including the call-taker’s failure to remain on the line with Ms. Berry until police arrived on scene,” the post, attributed to Cleveland Department of Public Safety director Martin L. Flask, stated.
 
Listening to these a week later the operator didn't seem so bad.
Amanda's call was placed at 5.51 and 59 seconds
Charles call at 5.52 and 34 seconds.
 
I've called 911 a few times & have never had a dispatcher that did not say they were staying on the line with me until help is dispatched or pulling in the street. It depends on what's needed when I've called

She sounds like she's going to hang up a few times. Not only did Amanda state who she was; when she realized the operator had no clue who she was; she stated she'd been kidnapped, missing for 10 years & on the news
Amanda says hello?
Will send someone as soon as we get a car open?
What was he wearing? Hello; she's already said she was kidnapped; does it occur to them she may not have seen him before he left?
Horrible operator. IMO
 
By asking what the suspect was wearing, dispatcher was trying to get as much information as he could so police could actually arrest the suspect.
And Amanda was in the same house with the suspect, so potentially could know what he was wearing.
 
I've called 911 a few times & have never had a dispatcher that did not say they were staying on the line with me until help is dispatched or pulling in the street. It depends on what's needed when I've called

She sounds like she's going to hang up a few times. Not only did Amanda state who she was; when she realized the operator had no clue who she was; she stated she'd been kidnapped, missing for 10 years & on the news
Amanda says hello?
Will send someone as soon as we get a car open?
What was he wearing? Hello; she's already said she was kidnapped; does it occur to them she may not have seen him before he left?
Horrible operator. IMO

I have to agree. I would think 911 would stay on the line with anyone reporting they were kidnapped and had just escaped. I wonder if 911 in Cleveland gets a lot of false reports of kidnappings? That would be the only plausible excuse to me that might be acceptable.
 
I'm wondering if they even believed them and exactly how many people called 911.
 
I'm wondering if they even believed them and exactly how many people called 911.

2 people called 911 (Amanda and Charles Ramsey) and we heard both of these calls.
 
By asking what the suspect was wearing, dispatcher was trying to get as much information as he could so police could actually arrest the suspect.
And Amanda was in the same house with the suspect, so potentially could know what he was wearing.

Maybe I should rephrase what I said. I dislike how she asked; at that point I was already totally disgusted with the call because she sounded like she was going to hang up the phone a few times.

The question should have been asked differently; such as did you happen to see what he was wearing before he left.
 
I'm wondering if they even believed them and exactly how many people called 911.

They believed them. If they didn't believed them. They would have continued to talk to them, until they could figure out what was going on.

The fact that the operators immediately ended the calls and dispatched officers code 3 (highest priority) is proof that they took the calls serious.
 
Hearing Amanda's daughter crying for her daddy ripped my heart out. While he was a monster to the women; we do not know what kind of father he's been to her.

I don't doubt they will make sure she gets extensive counseling.
 
Listening to these a week later the operator didn't seem so bad.
Amanda's call was placed at 5.51 and 59 seconds
Charles call at 5.52 and 34 seconds.

I agree they did a good job. Continuing that time line.

Police had liberated all four girls and were calling for ambulances for them at 5:58 and 32 seconds. So within six and a half minutes after that call, they were all safe.

Police arrested Ariel Castro in the McDonald's parking lot at 6:13. So within a little over 20 minutes after the calls, they had Castro in custody.

Thats not bad at all. People don't understand that the faster they get the call over with, the faster help will arrive.
 
I agree they did a good job. Continuing that time line.

Police had liberated all four girls and were calling for ambulances for them at 5:58 and 32 seconds. So within six and a half minutes after that call, they were all safe.

Police arrested Ariel Castro in the McDonald's parking lot at 6:13. So within a little over 20 minutes after the calls, they had Castro in custody.

Thats not bad at all. People don't understand that the faster they get the call over with, the faster help will arrive.

Okay, I really don't understand this. Aren't the dispatchers typing in stuff as they're on the phone? I thought it was all computerized and they multi-tasked a lot?

Thank goodness I've never had to call 911, just the non-emergency number.

I do agree the times do seem reasonable in this case, I just also agree with those that thought it was mighty weird for the operator not to keep her on the line until officers actually arrived.

Do we have any dispatcher sleuths here that could offer more information on the protocols, etc.?
 
They believed them. If they didn't believed them. They would have continued to talk to them, until they could figure out what was going on.

The fact that the operators immediately ended the calls and dispatched officers code 3 (highest priority) is proof that they took the calls serious.

And the police car was there in 2 minutes. That is not a low priority call.
 
People don't understand that the faster they get the call over with, the faster help will arrive.

sbm...that is not true.

The LE in charge of dispatch says the 911 operator dropped the ball by not keeping Amanda on the line until help arrived.
 
Okay, I really don't understand this. Aren't the dispatchers typing in stuff as they're on the phone? I thought it was all computerized and they multi-tasked a lot?

Thank goodness I've never had to call 911, just the non-emergency number.

I do agree the times do seem reasonable in this case, I just also agree with those that thought it was mighty weird for the operator not to keep her on the line until officers actually arrived.

Do we have any dispatcher sleuths here that could offer more information on the protocols, etc.?

Just sharing my experience with 911 calls. I tried a Google search and it looks like the call handling/routing may vary by state and possibly even by county, so I don't know how they're handled in Cleveland (couldn't find it), but still hope this might be helpful.

Every time I've called, they've always been multi-tasking and typically had the appropriate people on the way while we were still talking. They've asked me to hold on while they typed or got on the radio before, but they had me stay on until they were sure they had all the info they needed.

One other thing that may or may not apply - I remember learning quite awhile ago that if you're reporting something traffic related, particularly a traffic hazard where no one's injured or in immediate danger, it's best to call from a cell because it's routed to a highway patrol dispatcher first (at least where I live). In my experience those calls have been quicker to get off the line because it's been for traffic hazards as opposed to something like an accident, but still they've always asked if I wanted them to wait.

The couple of times I've called in something more serious and knew I needed a Sheriff or Ambulance, I've called from a landline. Once for a brewing domestic dispute, and once for a really bad car accident that left a man pinned under a huge SUV across from my house.

With the landline calls they were more persistent making absolutely sure I was ok/not in danger before hanging up. The domestic dispute was at a neighbor's house and I didn't feel threatened so I didn't stay on once I gave them the info, but they specifically confirmed that I was safe before they hung up. I was very surprised they didn't confirm that with Amanda - I kept expecting to hear "Are you safe where you are now?"

The only time I stayed on was when the guy was pinned under the SUV because I knew his life was in immediate danger and wanted to make absolutely sure help arrived. The dispatcher in that case was insistent about staying on the line too, and even after she heard the sirens she didn't hang up until I confirmed I saw both police and ambulance at the scene. That's what I would've expected to happen with Amanda's call. I know the dispatcher can't do a whole lot from the other end of a phone, but at least if AC had showed back up at the house they would've had the chance to warn LE that he was in the area.

I wonder how much this varies across states, counties, etc. There must be guidelines for how they handle which type of calls, right? I couldn't find anything on Google, but I ran out of time to look. I'm definitely curious about it now though.
 
Just wanted to add this, in an interview with Aurora Marti, (who was there when Amanda called) she said the police rang back to verify the call was real. So even though they didn't stay on the line they apparently called back to confirm.
 
Just wanted to add this, in an interview with Aurora Marti, (who was there when Amanda called) she said the police rang back to verify the call was real. So even though they didn't stay on the line they apparently called back to confirm.

Isn't that sweet? Did they ask her if she was ok physically and if she might need an ambulance as well?

moo
 
sbm...that is not true.

The LE in charge of dispatch says the 911 operator dropped the ball by not keeping Amanda on the line until help arrived.
No kidding. At least someone is being honest. Luckily the police response time was awesome. Dispatcher...not so much.

moo
 
And the police car was there in 2 minutes. That is not a low priority call.
Police response time has NOTHING to do with how the dispatcher dealt with the person calling. There were dozens of questions that could have been asked that were relevant to her safety and well-being...They weren't asked.

The police responded quickly which was excellent. The dispatcher didn't even ask her if she was physically ok or if she needed an ambulance!
 
Actually, at the very beginning, dispatcher did ask if she needed police, fire or ambulance.
 

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