Basics 2 - 911 calls

Here’s the summary version.

Adam Jovicic used to date Sarah Berkey.  Operative words used to.

Early Thursday morning March 12th at around 1am drunken and stoned Adam broke into Sarah’s home in Munroe Falls, Ohio.  He forces his way through the front door, a fight ensues and she calls 911 on her cell phone, but it’s forced out of her hands.

The call goes through, but to neighbor community, Stow, Ohio.   Their dispatchers relay the call to the Munroe Falls police who respond.  The dispatchers send help, but don’t have a specific location.  The call center is able to record the screaming and crying as Adam confronts his former girlfriend, Sarah.

Sarah, a Kent police officer, is finally forced to shoot Adam in defense of her life.  The responding officers hear the gunshots and are able to respond to the address.  The total response time is 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

Adam dies.

Here’s the tactical perspective.

Don’t count on the emergency GPS location function on your cell phone working.  Always assume it isn’t.  When you call 911 and they answer the phone don’t say you “Hello, I need…”

Say “Hello, 1313 Mockingbird Lane, City” or whatever your address is.  If you still have control over the phone explain your needs and problem.  If the phone breaks, is taken, or turned off at least the 911 operator knows someone at that address needs help.

Don’t assume the your 911 call will get routed to the correct dispatcher.  Sarah’s went to the wrong one.  How much time was lost in transferring the call and information to the correct dispatcher?

Needless to say, keep your phone charged and get the police moving as soon as possible.

I’m not saying the 911 system failed.  It didn’t.  It got the call to the right police dispatcher; it recorded everything it heard which helps justify Sarah’s use of deadly force and the police got to the right area as soon as possible.  It just didn’t work as well as politicians would have us believe.

Munroe Falls Mayor Frank Larson claims a typical response time of 1 minute for 78% of the city’s 911 calls.  Not bad unless it’s you on the phone.  Help the police help you.

Say:
  • Hello, (to let them know someone is on the line),
  • Your location or address,
  • What you need: police, EMS, Fire,
  • Your name and repeat the address/location.


Don’t know your location?
What, do you eat paste, too?

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