What is Digg?213 Comments
- Nick_Circosta, on 10/12/2007, -6/+137thats sad, how can a society do that to a person, the 911 operator should have been sacked and charged with manslaughter 2nd degree
- daedal, on 10/12/2007, -1/+131My buddy works as dispatcher and the standard procedure is to always send a squad care, even in the case of prank calls in case the caller is in a situation where he is unable to explain what's going on and must use other various forms of "messaging" the agent.
I remember him telling me about one time he received a call from a lady asking for a pizza delivery. My buddy listened and asked her questions like "Is there someone near you preventing from saying what's going on?" and "Are you being held hostage?" and all she would/could answer is "Yes" or "No". Five minutes later her husband, who was holding her hostage, was busted and jailed. She told him she would call to get a pizza delivered for them. - adminmatt, on 10/12/2007, -7/+124"help my mommy is dead on the floor"
"you kids and your crazy pranks" - sam10685, on 10/12/2007, -1/+76that kid is going to be PISSED when he gets old enough to realize what a bogus move that was...
- FutureSandwhich, on 10/12/2007, -2/+77Thats ***** sad
Now this kid lost his mother
All because of the incompetence of the operator. - SniperGX1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+64What ever happened to the policy treat every call as an emergency untill you confirm otherwise
- toddbu, on 10/12/2007, -13/+63I had a 911 operator hang up on me once. I was trying to report a stolen vehicle and asked for the non-emergency operator. I was told that I would have to tell them what the call was about before they would transfer my call. When I refused, they hung up on me. Apparently I'm too stupid to know whether or not I should be asking for a non-emergency operator. How about just publishing the number to the local cops in the phone book like in the good old days rather than routing everything through 911.
What really pisses me off is that I constantly get called by police/fire unions wanting me to buy tickets to the policeman's ball. These guys already make pretty good money, and seem to do less and less all the time. Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of really good police/firemen out there, and I'm a big supporter of law enforcement in general, but there are a lot of jerks on the force too. It makes me long for the days of Dragnet and Joe Friday.
Oh, one other thing while I'm bitching. I was out late one night and the power was out. There's a stop light near our house that goes very dark and I watched someone drive through the light without stopping because they couldn't see the signal. I called 911 and suggested that someone run out from the firehouse with a flare to put in the road to mark the intersection. I was told that that was the job of the cops, so I went about my business and returned about 30 minutes later. No flare. So I pulled off the road, got out one of my own flares, and put it in the road. Just as I was ready to leave, the cops came. I told them that I'd already taken care of the problem. As I drove away, the officer pulled his car into the intersection and directed what little traffic came by. All they needed was a flare to mark the intersection. It's incredible how they can't take care of simple problems, and when they do then it's total overkill. - Exedus, on 10/12/2007, -9/+57The boy who made the call uses an Apple computer and was on Google at the time.
There we go, Happy now? Now it's fit for Digg. - carguy84, on 10/12/2007, -0/+46Did you read the last line too? The operator wasn't even put on leave...wow, I'll think I'll try 411 instead next time.
- mirunit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+37Agreeded, this is very sad and the operator should not go unpunished.
- haxx4, on 10/12/2007, -5/+37I'd expect 912 to be more reliable.
- fgsfds, on 10/12/2007, -0/+31Actually, Berean, there ARE laws about helping people who are dying. I'm not entirely certain about the laws for 911 operators (although I would expect them to be similar in nature), but EMTs are required to treat somebody in distress to the best of their ability until they are relieved by somebody of equal or greater competence.
Also, there is such a thing as crimes of negligence - if, through incorrect action or inaction, you are responsible for harm or death coming to a person for whom you are charged with the safety of by your position, then you are resposible for their death.
If a nurse gives a patient the wrong medication, or simply decides to not bother giving them their medication at all, then said nurse has neglected to insure the saftey of those for whom they are responsible, and is criminally liable.
If a bus driver parks on railroad tracks and people die, then they failed to insure the safety of their passangers, and are criminally liable.
If a 911 operator hangs up on an emergency call when it would reasonably be considered a valid call to take, then they have failed in their duty to relay emergency information to response crews.
Etc.
While you as an average joe aren't usually expected to go to great lengths to save people, that's a 911 operator's job - they're obligated.
Now, if somebody here knows the specifics about laws regarding 911 call centers, feel free to chime in. - Tobey, on 10/12/2007, -4/+33These days, you're guilty until proven innocent.
- ecchichuu, on 10/12/2007, -4/+31What? Even if it was his own wife, what kind of moron lets his hostage use the phone to order pizza?
- aresef, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29They may have a case for involuntary manslaughter.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -15/+38@bereen: holy *****! that's gotta be the stupidiest thing I ever heard here.
she IS obligated to help people, that's why she is taking 911 calls!
I wish it was you calling to ask for help for you mother and they hang up on you!
jeez, what a retard. - xodex, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23This story saddens me and angers me, Poor little guy.
- fridgerunner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20yeah .. but she's stil workingt there.
they could have at least suspended her pending the investigation.
then again it's detroit, what'd you expect? - ModernGeek, on 10/12/2007, -4/+22Todbu - I realize the frustration you must have had when trying to tell the dispatcher about the problem you had. As a Volunteer firefighter, let me tell you how the system works. For one, in most areas, the non emergency number and the 911 number are the same thing. In our area, there is one person to handle county fire calls, one for country sheriff, one for city police, and one person for city fire. Medical calls go to the local ambulance service, and when you call 911, the 911 dispatcher will listen in on the medical dispatcher to see if they need to send fire or police units out there. When a medical call is seen as serve, a Fire unit will be dispatched as they can normally get there faster than an ambulance can, so the patient will be ready to go. A lot of people get things mixed up, and see the fire department as doing a lot of things, but they are normally just for pulling people out of wrecked cars, and putting out fires. When a fire department tries to do a lot of extra stuff, it pulls them away from what they really need to be doing - fighting fires. Fire people can't do traffic control and such. American policing needs to be reformed, as it is becoming less and less efficient as each day passes. Mainly as it is becoming more and more difficult to get good police officers that don't want to be jackasses all day. A lot of these stories are blown out of proportion though. Just because a medical unit would have gotten their a little faster doesn't mean that the lady would have lived. There is probably a lot more to this story than we saw today in this article. The media is normally shunned from stories like these, and the only information they get is from a panicking family, and public officials don't comment. The media gets back at the public service people by reporting like this. For all we know, they might have gotten a lot of calls from that household. The boy who cried wolf?
- bakatrinh, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18I want to hear the full phone conversation to see what the boy said that made the operator think he was joking around.
- JoJoDilio, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17While it isn't certain that the mother would have lived long enough for the ambulance to arrive to receive medical attention, this kind of thing does not reinforce the image that these public service representatives should be portraying.
- hrddrv, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17I agree. I used to work in an ER and if someone said they think they are having a heart attack we treated it as one. You do not know what is going on until you see the whole picture. The operater will probably have to go through some refresher coarse again and will get a bad eval but will probably keep their job. Sad but true.
- stevester, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18if she doesn't get punished, maybe when he gets old enough, he can sue for this.
- chriskelley, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15@berean
according to tort law she is required to NOT be professionally negligent, which she was here, also I think it is fair to say the "reasonable person" would not tell that kid the same thing she told him. Therefore, she is in fact legally responsible for her negligence and will hopefully get absolutely reamed with a civil lawsuit if nothing else. I would have suspended her on the spot, that would be the professionally proper thing to to IMHO. - rimco, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Perhaps it took time for the story to break and the kid had a birthday... 6 now, 5 when it happened.
- npacheco, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16People who usually try to hold people hostage are morons to begin with.
- SportzStar01234, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17Just looking at that kid's face makes my heart sink. :(
- gotamd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13The kid called not once, but twice. Both times he was treated as if it was a fake call (not even, because they should send out the police even to fake calls). Three hours later the police show up. There is no excuse for that.
- Diseage, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15if you watch the video (yes, you have to play it in IE) they air the phone call. It's sad. She yells at the poor kid.
- LeFrenzy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13So much for telling our youth what to do when an emergency occurs in the house...
remember kids, next time parents collapse, don't call 911, yell hysterically outside the home, in hope that an adult would call 911 on your behalf. - Pentarix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13That's 10 children without a mother now, how sad.
- cielerella, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12The little boy keeps a clear head and does what he's supposed to in an emergency.
So typical of authorities. - bani, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14"The 911 operator remains on the job amid the investigation, Tate said."
...this seems a rather unwise policy! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11whoever the operator was, they should be fired, prosecuted and bloacklisted from any job requiring responsibility.
- obiwankenobi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13That is so ***** stupid. That lady should take all calls to 911seriously.That lady really needs to be fired and put up on charges. When dealing with someone life on the line every call is a emergency. I mean the lady never heard the saying better to be safe than sorry. I feel sorry for the poor little kid who lost his mother.
- MrTea, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12I agree; I would not doubt that this kid will grow up basing most of his actions upon reaching the goal of reforming the 911 system. Either that this will have messed him up emotionally (for life). Either way, I think the 911 operator might have interpreted the call as a prank based upon the toan of the kid's voice, or maybe people like the said person shouldn't be handling emergency calls.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12It probably took them a year to finally get someone out to him to check if everything was okay.
- iSEPIC, on 10/12/2007, -6/+16That's a good story daedal, thanks for sharing.
- Pottersquash, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Seems to me that this could be considered criminally negliengent and 2nd Degree murder could be correctly applied, Id go more for Involutary Manslaughter. Sad is, I died 911 by accident they called back wanting to be sure there were no problems, yet this kid is told quit playing around? And to they, if her ass would have sent a cop, maybe the mom would be alive.
- Kamatz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Whoa! Society? It was one dispatcher, i don't think that one dispatcher counts as an entire society. Though this is a shock, even after hearing the hearfelt stories of children calling 911 and even pets calling 911 for their owners.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Interesting.
CABBIE: "I am a cab driver and I just had an arab man in my car listening to Led Zepplin -- I think he is a terrorist!"
COPS: "Alright sir. Stay calm. We are sending someone over to arrest, interrogate and harass this man right away!"
-----
SIX YEAR OLD BOY: "My mommy is on the floor and I think she is dying".
COPS: "Yeah, sure! Tell me another one, smartass!" - haxx4, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13"A 6-year-old Detroit boy, whose 911 call was taken as a prank..."
"A 5-year-old boy called 911 to report that his mother had collapsed..."
lol - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Thanks for being polite, but as you may have seen, Digg is now more of a social bookmark system. Technology is just something we sure like, but everything that's cool has a place here.
- Tsuroerusu, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11You know what you are? You're a ***** retarded bastard!!
What the ***** makes people any different just because the color of their skin is different? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Yeah, I called the police once because kids trashed and egged my car. They never came. I left the evidence on my car, waiting for the cops, and those eggs were really hard to get off.
But the police will be there for you, the one time you ever, out of thousands of times, run the stop sign by your house, accidently at that. I really hate how the system preys mostly on good people, just because they are easy targets, while the bad people run rampant. I'm on the wrong side... - Habemus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Elderly lady calls 999 (911 in Britain) to report that she can't find her glasses:
http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/units_and_departments/communications/999_calls/flash/potatoes.htm
A lady calls to report an injured pigeon:
http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/units_and_departments/communications/999_calls/flash/pigeon.htm
A man has dialled 999 to say that his wife has gone out without leaving him any food to eat:
http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/units_and_departments/communications/999_calls/flash/salmon_sandwiches.htm - Tsuroerusu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Even though I don't know the 5 year old, right now I feel like I just want to give him a hug, man!
- charge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8makes me ***** sick to my stomach.
- theonlybigboss, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8they should charge her with murder, not staying on the ***** job while they do an investigation, this is a murder plain and simple.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Why the ***** did the police even bother to show up three hours later. In case it wasn't a prank??
-
Show 51 - 100 of 208 discussions
The Digg Toolbar for Firefox lets you Digg, submit content, and keep track of Digg even when you're not on the Digg site. Download the official 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is