General Discussion

wickerwoman

(5,662 posts)

116. I agree that it sounded dismissive to Amanda,

Wed May 8, 2013, 01:57 AM

May 2013

but I'm suggesting that as she was in a panicked state, she may have misinterpreted the dispatcher's silences (as she was concentrating on dispatching the car) for not treating the call as a priority.

And she was trying to get Amanda to not tell her the whole story so she could get the car dispatched and ask for the most important information- where do you live? where are you now? what's the guys name? etc.

And as I said before "I'll send the next car that's open" isn't the best way to phrase it, but for the operator that could have meant "I'm sending the next car I can in about 20 seconds" while Amanda clearly interpreted it "you're going on a wait list and we'll get there when we get there". She obviously was in distress and may have misinterpreted what the dispatcher meant.

The point is she never told Amanda to hang up but she wasn't clearly communicating what she did mean either. It's a tough job though, the dispatcher wasn't that experienced and at the end of the day the cops got there within 2 minutes and the girls were saved. So what's the point of dragging the dispatcher over the coals and engaging in a lot of armchair quarterbacking?

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did the Cleveland 911 dispatcher sound uninterested / unsympathetic? [View all] Liberal_in_LA May 2013 OP

Sounded confused, to me. elleng May 2013 #1

Same here. Trying to get the data as soon as possible. Not playing for effect like teevee. freshwest May 2013 #110

Right, exactly, elleng May 2013 #111

But apparently the dispatcher was supposed to keep her on the line. pnwmom May 2013 #118

911 operators are trained to not get emotionally evolved, to deal with the facts, ScreamingMeemie May 2013 #2

Very professional. Stopped the "here's my story" talk and immediately asked for and got an address. Junkdrawer May 2013 #6

But shouldn't she have stayed on the line with her, since the guy could have come back any time? pnwmom May 2013 #77

And if the guy found her on the phone? nt msanthrope May 2013 #86

He would have found her on the phone standing next to two neighbors, pnwmom May 2013 #88

If they got emotionally involved in every call, I don't think they'd be 911 operators very long. cherokeeprogressive May 2013 #10

But this 911 operator treated this as a lower priority call, pnwmom May 2013 #79

I would suspect the operator was looking at a computer dispatch system at the same time. ellisonz May 2013 #108

They're going to review both dispatch calls ellisonz May 2013 #114

k&r jehop61 May 2013 #28

I agree. bigwillq May 2013 #39

I worked 911 for 8 years Corgigal May 2013 #62

+1 Raine1967 May 2013 #64

Imagine your budget was cut and operator staff was cut, say, 25% to 50% Junkdrawer May 2013 #65

Depends on the agency Corgigal May 2013 #69

She did fine? Really? Even though she told the woman to hang up pnwmom May 2013 #81

Was she the only person working 911? Corgigal May 2013 #123

yup nadinbrzezinski May 2013 #92

She told the woman to hang up and that a car would come when it was open. pnwmom May 2013 #80

...and the car showed up two minutes later. And the operator got the name of the abductor, the ScreamingMeemie May 2013 #90

But it very well might have been a different car at a different time, pnwmom May 2013 #100

Not to me. LisaL May 2013 #3

+1 freshwest May 2013 #109

Why didn't the dispatcher keep Amanda on the line? oregonjen May 2013 #4

I thought the same. At first she said she'd send a car once one was "open"! anneboleyn May 2013 #22

Thank goodness Amanda persisted! I agree that wasn't a good response of the operator.n/t pnwmom May 2013 #82

very true. I've heard lots of these calls where the dispatcher keeps the caller on line until the... Beaverhausen May 2013 #23

That puzzles me, too. I would have thought the dispatcher Arkansas Granny May 2013 #40

I would think every call is suspicious Politicalboi May 2013 #5

Nope pokerfan May 2013 #7

not sure exactly,,,, KarenS May 2013 #8

There was at least one hoax involving a claim that Amanda Berry was dead and buried LisaL May 2013 #11

Yeah, I'm thinking she's had her share of pranks and cranks Blue_Tires May 2013 #24

Local news stated OhioChick May 2013 #19

That makes sense magellan May 2013 #38

Sorry, but I have trouble buying that. liberalhistorian May 2013 #102

OK, so you were kidnapped. Police are on their way. Bye. rightsideout May 2013 #9

Exactly . . . fleur-de-lisa May 2013 #13

it is easy to be a Monday night quarterback..... chillfactor May 2013 #17

It is also easy to write something completely irrational . . . fleur-de-lisa May 2013 #99

I thought the same. She also said when a squad car is open, one will be sent anneboleyn May 2013 #18

Kinda depends on call volume, doesn't it? Junkdrawer May 2013 #25

She did not confirm that police were en route before hanging up. anneboleyn May 2013 #33

Yes she did. LisaL May 2013 #42

That's right. Raine1967 May 2013 #44

So what is the operator supposed to send over there if there is no free car? LisaL May 2013 #48

That's why I stated the operator should have stayed on the line. n/t Raine1967 May 2013 #49

staying on the line won't get a car there faster magical thyme May 2013 #54

I don't know. I tend to think not, and here's why: Raine1967 May 2013 #58

but what you personally feel and what is the reality of the job are not the same magical thyme May 2013 #68

The dispatcher got them there faster BECAUSE the woman didn't hang up as directed pnwmom May 2013 #89

Dispatcher never directed the woman to hang up. LisaL May 2013 #104

You're right that she didn't at first. She just kept interrupting pnwmom May 2013 #120

Talk to the police when they get there. Talk to the police when they get there. Blue Diadem May 2013 #130

Yes, it could have, and it did, actually. pnwmom May 2013 #87

Keeping the caller on the line until the police liberalhistorian May 2013 #103

Cars can be rerouted from less serious situations. There's no indication pnwmom May 2013 #85

Dispatcher didn't order woman to hang up. LisaL May 2013 #105

The dispatcher ended the call instead of keeping her on the line. pnwmom May 2013 #119

"Hey, I need an officer to leave traffic ticket duty/drug bust duty/prostitution sting duty ecstatic May 2013 #135

But she had put this call into low priority -- that's why she FIRST said a car would come pnwmom May 2013 #78

No, he didn't tell the woman to hang up. LisaL May 2013 #106

No. It was still an error not to make sure this wasn't a high risk ongoing situation pnwmom May 2013 #84

She didn't tell the woman to hang up. wickerwoman May 2013 #113

I heard the dispatcher say "thank you" in a dismissive way and then, over and over, pnwmom May 2013 #115

I agree that it sounded dismissive to Amanda, wickerwoman May 2013 #116

I'm not dragging anybody over the coals except the evil men who (allegedly) did this. pnwmom May 2013 #117

I agree Anne . . . fleur-de-lisa May 2013 #101

Exactly -- a kidnapping ffs. Very, very dangerous situation. anneboleyn May 2013 #36

^ This. nt Poll_Blind May 2013 #112

I thought so when I first heard it eissa May 2013 #12

This exactly. gvstn May 2013 #32

I do not believe that the dispatcher was familiar with the name Amanda Berry.... chillfactor May 2013 #14

Making a spectacle of things by broadcasting 911 calls bugs me more than the dispatchers' tones. nt Posteritatis May 2013 #15

This RobinA May 2013 #95

I've been noticing it more and more in the last year Posteritatis May 2013 #122

No, they have to keep their cool and get the details. n/t Whisp May 2013 #16

They should NOT have hung up with her until after LEO arrived. Raine1967 May 2013 #20

Exactly. Not "just doing her job." She was dangerously dismissive of the girl anneboleyn May 2013 #27

That was my thought the very first time I heard the call. laundry_queen May 2013 #96

See post #25. It all depends on call volume.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #31

This was a KIDNAPPING. Rather high priority, one would think. anneboleyn May 2013 #35

More than a heart attack? More than a fire? More than a shooting.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #37

Junkdrawer, Raine1967 May 2013 #47

And what could the 911 operator do if they did? Junkdrawer May 2013 #52

I dunno. LisaL May 2013 #55

The call could have Raine1967 May 2013 #56

I'm sorry, I'm not buying this. Raine1967 May 2013 #41

911 call volumes and the bad results of a too high volume.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #45

I'll be honest -- I'm not sure why the call volume is such a point. Raine1967 May 2013 #53

Local news here did a report when the issue was hot.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #57

She doesn't mean volume in how loud the call was, but volume in the NUMBER of calls tblue37 May 2013 #72

Thank you. I appreciate that. Raine1967 May 2013 #74

Sometimes a quick read causes a misunderstanding of a point. It happens to all of us. nt tblue37 May 2013 #83

They often tend to sound that way LeftInTX May 2013 #21

I'm sure the original thought was that it was a crank call Warpy May 2013 #26

Why did the operator hang up then, before even verifying LE was en route? anneboleyn May 2013 #30

Probably because it was during peak hours Warpy May 2013 #43

seemed almost hostile to her ZRT2209 May 2013 #29

911 Polly Hennessey May 2013 #34

I used to take emergency calls when I was an "O" operator for Ma Bell. Cleita May 2013 #46

Thank you for saying this. Raine1967 May 2013 #61

being an 'O' operator and being a 911 dispatcher are not the same job. magical thyme May 2013 #71

Snark noted -- thanks for your help. Raine1967 May 2013 #73

jeebus yourself. You are criticizing a job done by somebody else magical thyme May 2013 #75

Go read again... 911 may have saved my life by making sure someone stayed on the line with me. Raine1967 May 2013 #76

I entirely agree with magical_thyme. sibelian May 2013 #126

Well, Tell that to the City's Director of Public safety. Raine1967 May 2013 #129

on dial-up so can't easily download, but magical thyme May 2013 #50

It seemed to me the dispatcher was perhaps not as Still Sensible May 2013 #51

Dispatchers should always inject an appropriate amount of drama into their voices. Nye Bevan May 2013 #59

Crying and screaming OMG! OMG! is what people seem to expect. LisaL May 2013 #63

No, it's not laundry_queen May 2013 #98

Who cares? It isn't their job to feel sorry for people. MrSlayer May 2013 #60

Thank you. sibelian May 2013 #125

yes NotThisTime May 2013 #66

Dispatchers should think, not emote. FarCenter May 2013 #67

+1 sibelian May 2013 #127

Yes. We were pretty disgusted listening to it. aquart May 2013 #70

I had a job that took similar calls, not 911, but medical. I had four phone lines to work with. hunter May 2013 #91

Shhh.. You'll wake the sleeping.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #93

Listen, these people hear everything that you can imagine and then some.... WCGreen May 2013 #94

The dispatcher sounded calm, efficient, and professional Tom Ripley May 2013 #97

+1. Agreed. Wonder why people on a liberal website are so quick to bash public servants? FSogol May 2013 #124

Because some folks have nothing better to do with MineralMan May 2013 #133

she's going to be investigated Liberal_in_LA May 2013 #136

Don't second guess the 911 operator dem in texas May 2013 #107

She sounded fine; I don't like how she pressured the victim to hang up. nt RedCappedBandit May 2013 #121

Ever worked in ER? sibelian May 2013 #128

Seemed dismissive and with an attitude if you ask me MaineLinePhilly May 2013 #131

Not really. Second-guessing about 911 calls, MineralMan May 2013 #132

I've called 911 twice due to alarms going off at night, both operators stayed on the line ecstatic May 2013 #134

sounded like someone who makes $10 an hour to me. datasuspect May 2013 #137