Dispatcher Paid More Than Mayor in 2010
The city of Rochester (NY) spends 60 percent of its budget on wages and other personnel costs, including $133,200 paid to a single dispatcher during 2010, more than even the city’s mayor made. Dispatcher James Felice boosted his usual salary by …
Police Dispatcher Arrested, Child Porn
A Pascagoula (Miss.) police dispatcher was arrested on Friday after a month of surveillance, and charged with possession of child pornography. William Brushaber, 23, was arrested by Jackson County sheriff’s deputies without incident. He has been…
Officer, Dispatcher Relationship Ends In Firing
The public safety director of Lorain (Ohio) has fired an officer for acts of “dishonesty, misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance in office,” apparently associated with his relationship with one of the agency’s dispatchers. Director…
Fire Victim’s Last Call Was to 911
The Clinton County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office has released logging tapes made from a rural farmhouse last Monday, documenting the last minutes of life of a mother and one of her children. Taren Burris, 26, dialed 911 just after 8 a.m. to report the …
Exemption Considered for Fla. Training Law
Under a law now being considered by the Florida legislature, a law enforcement officer who performs dispatching duties would be exempt from the state’s telecommunicator training requirements, which become mandatory on Oct. 1, 2012. It’s …
War Injuries Don’t Affect Dispatcher’s Work
Just 68 days into his second tour of duty in Iraq, Mark O’Brien was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and seriously injured—his right arm and leg were gone. But rehabilitation, family, friendship and a job as an Erie County (NY) sheriff’s…
UK Commission Finds Errors In 999 Response
A calltaker for the Leicestershire (UK) Constabulary mishandled three 999 calls made in 2006 related to a murder, including two silent calls that never received a police dispatch. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) just issued its repo…
Dispatcher Had No Submerged Car Protocol
It took Norwalk (Ohio) firefighters just three minutes to arrive at the flooded creek where Lisa Roswell’s car had been swept off the road and was now submerged in swirling water. Roswell had been able to dial 911 for help, and spoke to police …
CAD Geofile Blamed For Response Delay
An oddity in the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) geofile at the District of Columbia‘s comm center prevented a calltaker from entering the exact location of a fatal accident last month, delaying the arrival of emergency units by at least 10 minu…
Two Arrested in Separate Hoax 911 Call Incidents
Two southern California men have been arrested separately for making thousands of hoax 911 calls to local dispatchers over the past year using uninitialized cellular phones. Maurice Cruz, 43, was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers and Secr…