911 worker didn't warn Pittsburgh police of guns

911 worker didn't warn Pittsburgh police of guns

news.yahoo.com

PITTSBURGH – The mother of a man charged with killing three Pittsburgh police officers told a 911 dispatcher he had weapons, but the dispatcher didn't relay that information to officers, the official in charge of county dispatchers says.

The dispatcher should have asked more questions about the weapons, but didn't, and certainly should have told officers so they could take necessary precautions, Allegheny County Chief of Emergency Services Robert Full told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"There is no excuse. It could have been handled better, without a doubt," Full said in Tuesday's editions.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Wow you would think that a 911 operator would know that they should tell the police that there where weapons present in the house. I imagine this dispatcher is going to live with the guilt of the deaths of these officers for the rest of his/her life. What a shame it seems this could have been prevented from the start. On a side note the mother said all the guns where legal and I have heard no reports on weather they where or not; I was under the impression that people convicted of a felony where still prohibited from purchasing hand guns and Assault weapons. As I understand it a dishonorable discharge from the military is a felony. Anyone know if this is not the case on one point or the other?

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Doesn't matter if a gun is LEGAL or NOT, they still can kill if in the wrong hands.
The dispatcher should've done a more thorough job but unfortunately these days its quantity over quality of work. Besides being in the US you would think that ALL Police Officers are trained to deal with people with firearms especially seeing as they had gone through training and been brought up in the gun culture of the States?.

People have more easy access to guns than over here in the UK so over here there's a non-plussed attitude from the police, as the 'perp' may only use his fists.
Only when they 'think' a gun may be involved do they bring in the firearms Officers.

It seems the hiring standards for 911 operators have dropped sharply in recent times, see link:

www.cracked.com...

1. 9/11 Operator dismisses a women's call after she tells him a knife wielding ex-boyfriend is breaking into her house & threatening to kill her, by saying, "I really just don't give a sh*t what happens to you."

2. 9/11 Operator falls asleep during an emergency call after a woman reports someone suspiciously looking through her window. He wakes up a few minutes later with the woman still on the line.

3. 9/11 Operator scolds a woman for saying the F-word after becoming frustrated because of calling several times without answer. The operator then ironically calls her a "stupid ass".

4. 9/11 Operator hangs up on a woman being beaten by her boyfriend in front of her children, while on the phone, because he simply didn't have the patience to listen.

Also came across this:

A 911 operator failed to properly classify a desperate cellphone call from one of the four teenagers who disappeared in the icy waters off the Bronx on Friday night, an error that delayed a police response for 14 hours, officials said yesterday.

The operator and a supervisor made a record of the call, the officials said, but they did not relay it to the Police Department.

www.nytimes.com...

Authorities say a suburban Atlanta woman died while waiting for an ambulance that a 911 operator sent to the wrong address.

www.usatoday.com...


[edit on 7/4/09 by The Godfather of Conspira]

reply to post by The Godfather of Conspira


This is sickening. We do not need incompetent people with attitudes manning the emergency lines. This is gross negligence on the part of the operator, and she should be fired and sued by the families of the slain officers.

Of course no one wants to quote the 911 operators who have delivered babies over the phone, or helped resuscitate people, or talked people down from committing suicide.

These people get $12 an hour for doing a tough job, and yes guess what, they make mistakes.

You're such a negative bunch.

Originally posted by Verd_Vhett


Wow you would think that a 911 operator would know that they should tell the police that there where weapons present in the house. I imagine this dispatcher is going to live with the guilt of the deaths of these officers for the rest of his/her life. What a shame it seems this could have been prevented from the start. On a side note the mother said all the guns where legal and I have heard no reports on weather they where or not; I was under the impression that people convicted of a felony where still prohibited from purchasing hand guns and Assault weapons. As I understand it a dishonorable discharge from the military is a felony. Anyone know if this is not the case on one point or the other?

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Nah, a dishonorable discharge is not a felony. A felony is when you've committed a crime that resulted in over a year in jail, or more than a certain amount of money being paid ($1,000, I think), or a combination of the two. A dishonorable discharge just means he's quite a piece of... work.

reply to post by Retseh

Of course no one wants to quote the 911 operators who have delivered babies over the phone, or helped resuscitate people, or talked people down from committing suicide.

I'm all open for some examples, oh wise one.

Instead of moping like a sad clown, it wouldn't hurt you to use Google.

These people get $12 an hour for doing a tough job, and yes guess what, they make mistakes.

If you don't like the job. Quit.

'Nuff Said.

Don't toy around with people's lives because of your own incompetence and dissatisfaction with your job.

$12 an hour is a pathetic excuse.

You're such a negative bunch.

If you had bothered to read the articles I posted, this is far from an isolated incident.

Forgive us for our "negativity" based upon a startling trend.

Originally posted by Highground

Originally posted by Verd_Vhett


Wow you would think that a 911 operator would know that they should tell the police that there where weapons present in the house. I imagine this dispatcher is going to live with the guilt of the deaths of these officers for the rest of his/her life. What a shame it seems this could have been prevented from the start. On a side note the mother said all the guns where legal and I have heard no reports on weather they where or not; I was under the impression that people convicted of a felony where still prohibited from purchasing hand guns and Assault weapons. As I understand it a dishonorable discharge from the military is a felony. Anyone know if this is not the case on one point or the other?

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Nah, a dishonorable discharge is not a felony. A felony is when you've committed a crime that resulted in over a year in jail, or more than a certain amount of money being paid ($1,000, I think), or a combination of the two. A dishonorable discharge just means he's quite a piece of... work.

According to this attorney: Shawn C. Brown
www.shawnbrownlaw.com...


What constitutes Felon Possession of a Firearm in a Federal Case?
Felony Possession of a Firearm
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution gives U.S. citizens the right to bear arms, but this right is taken away from various groups of people, including, but not limited to, those who have been indicted or convicted of a state or federal felony; illegal aliens; individuals who have received a dishonorable discharge from the military; those who are fugitives from justice; anyone convicted of any crime punishable of more than one year in prison; and anyone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. If you are charged with possession of a firearm, contact our office immediately. The penalties for someone who is unlawfully in possession a firearm can be severe, and even if you only intended to go hunting, you could spend up to 10 years in prison.

So if this young man received a dishonrable dishcharge as the media has said then he is a felon and should not have had guns at all and there for was never a legal gun owner and should be branded as such!

Originally posted by Retseh
Of course no one wants to quote the 911 operators who have delivered babies over the phone, or helped resuscitate people, or talked people down from committing suicide.

These people get $12 an hour for doing a tough job, and yes guess what, they make mistakes.

You're such a negative bunch.

yes but this mistake cost people their lives

If this is a big problem then it needs to be adressed and here we have high profile case of a 911 dispatcher being incomptent perhaps this will lead to change but it does not change the fact that this persons responibilty was to notify those cops that their where guns present in the house. If these cops had known this perhaps they would have been more cautious! Fact is this dispatcher shares some of the blame, it is clear the 911 system need a serious overhaul!

nothing all that positive came out of this!


[edit on 4/7/2009 by Verd_Vhett]

Originally posted by The Godfather of Conspira
I'm all open for some examples, oh wise one.

Childish sarcasm aside here's a couple for you, a simple Google search will find literally hundreds:

www.emergencydispatch.org...

www.wesh.com...

Instead of moping like a sad clown, it wouldn't hurt you to use Google.

See above regarding both your childishness and the use of Google.

If you don't like the job. Quit.

'Nuff Said.

This is your constructive argument to solve your alleged problem of incompetent 911 operators. You want to create constant staff turnover.

Don't toy around with people's lives because of your own incompetence and dissatisfaction with your job.

$12 an hour is a pathetic excuse.

No, it's a reality. I wonder what your attitude to police officers would be, or anyone in a position of authority for that matter. Based on your responses, I'm pretty sure what I'm dealing with here.

If you had bothered to read the articles I posted, this is far from an isolated incident.

Forgive us for our "negativity" based upon a startling trend.

You cannot declare a "startling trend" because you found a couple of bad 911 operator stories. You're just gaining enjoyment from hurling mud in the hope that some of it sticks.

reply to post by Retseh


12 dollars an hour?
Maybe in your town, but where I live they are better compensated than that.
Starting hourly pay is in the 28 dollar range, plus over-time, shift differential, etc.

reply to post by Verd_Vhett


He may not have received a dishonorable discharge, it may have just been a general discharge. Everything that i've read says that he was discharged, but doesn't say if it was dishonorable, or general. If he was not dishonorably discharged he would have been allowed to posess firearms.

What i don't understand is why the 911 operator is on paid administrative leave. Seems to me that she should have lost her job, her poor job performance resulted in the officers responding differently then they would have had they been aware that he had weapons in the home. Had she informed them that he possesed weapons they may have come out of it alive.

Originally posted by DataWraith
Besides being in the US you would think that ALL Police Officers are trained to deal with people with firearms especially seeing as they had gone through training and been brought up in the gun culture of the States?.

All police officers are trained to deal with people with firearms. However if there is no report of firearms possibly being an issue they enter the scene with different precautions. These officers had no idea that they were entering a residence where firearms were present. Had the 911 operator done her job properly they would have taken the proper precautions when entering that house, and would not have been caught off gaurd, and in all probability been alive today.