Related To Story Brittany Zimmermann |
County Board Members To Hold Community Meeting On 911 System Next Week
Local Officials Invited To Speak, Answer Questions
UPDATED: 7:57 am CDT May 15,
2008
MADISON, Wis. -- Several members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors announced plans to hold a community meeting next Monday in connection to the county's 911 system and the ongoing controversy about whether a call from the cell phone of a slain University of Wisconsin-Madison student was mishandled.
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TALKBACK: What Do You Think?The meeting, which is set for 6 p.m. in Fitchburg, will feature comments from several local officials with time for questions from the public regarding the death of Brittany Zimmermann, 21, in early April and the call that came from her cell phone to the Dane County 911 Center.Dane County 911 Center director Joe Norwick, Dane County executive Kathleen Falk, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney and Madison Police Chief Noble Wray have been invited to speak at the hearing.Board members said they want to give Dane County residents an opportunity to get direct answers to questions.It will be the second meeting in connection with the 911 Center's response to a 911 call from Zimmermann's phone.On May 8, two county committees grilled Norwick. In the meeting, some questions, like the number of complaints against the 911 Center, didn't have immediate answers."In answer to how many (complaints) since 2004, I've been here 9 months. I would really have to research that," Norwick said at the meeting on May 8.Norwick said that every complaint is investigated and the person is given some resolution.Local officials said that a 911 dispatcher said she didn't hear anything when she answered the call from Zimmermann's phone. They said that the operator hung up on the call and didn't call the number back because other calls were waiting. No police officers were sent to investigate.Officials said that the dispatcher violated protocols in not calling the cell number back.However, the dispatcher's union representative last week refuted those accusations. She said that the dispatcher said she didn't hang up on the call and complied with 911 center policies when she didn't call the number back.Some county board members are urging community leaders to offer assurance to the community at Monday's meeting."We want to focus on what the expectations of the 911 centers are, how the technology is changing, but most importantly, we want to hear what the peoples' concerns are," said Eileen Bruskewitz, Dane County supervisor for District 25.Word of the board members' meeting comes a day after WISC-TV, Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee filed a lawsuit to ensure local officials comply with several open records requests regarding the 911 center and the ongoing investigation into the call.Reporters for the outlets have requested to inspect and copy the audio files of any 911 calls from Zimmermann's home, an un-redacted report of the 911 center's investigation into the alleged Zimmermann call and all documents related to the Zimmermann call and the investigation into the incident produced from the Dane County Public Safety Communications Center, Madison police and the mayor's office.The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday in the lower level of the Fitchburg Community Center at 5510 Lacy Road.Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.
Previous Stories:
- May 14, 2008: Media Outlets Announce Open-Record Suit Concerning 911 Case
- May 13, 2008: Report Says 911 Dispatcher Made Protocol Errors
- May 11, 2008: Officials Release Edited, Redacted Report On Controversial 911 Call
- May 11, 2008: Report Says 911 Dispatcher Made Protocol Errors
- May 11, 2008: Officials Release Edited, Redacted Report On Controversial 911 Call
- May 9, 2008: Committee Meeting Examines Aftermath Of Controversial 911 Call
- May 8, 2008: Union Rep: 911 Dispatcher Denies Mishandling Call
- May 7, 2008: Falk: Better 911 Response Could Not Have Stopped Slaying
- May 7, 2008: Falk's Admission Of Mistakes Could Be Used In Court
- May 6, 2008: County Officials To Offer Apology To Zimmermann's Family, Fiance
- May 6, 2008: Oversight Board Chair Says He Heard Of 911 Call Day After Slaying
- May 5, 2008: Local Officials To Release New Details In Zimmermann Case
- May 5, 2008: 911 Dispatcher Who Took Zimmermann's Call Transferred
- May 5, 2008: Mifflin Street Revelers Remember Brittany Zimmermann
- May 3, 2008: Student's Death Looms Over Mifflin Street Block Party
- May 2, 2008: Rock County 911 Dispatchers Say Cell Calls More Difficult To Pinpoint
- May 2, 2008: Slain UW Student's Phone Dialed 911 But Got No Response
- April 22, 2008: UW-Madison Tour Guides Address Safety
- April 17, 2008: Family Sets Up Memorial Fund For Slain UW-Madison Student
- April 14, 2008: Landlord: Slain Student's Fiance Will Be Let Out Of Lease
- April 14, 2008: Homicide Victim's Fiance Must Fulfill Apartment Lease
- April 12, 2008: Police Investigate Similarities In 2 Homicide Cases
- April 11, 2008: Police: Signs Of Forced Entry At Zimmermann's Building
- April 10, 2008: Investigation Continues Week After Slaying Of UW Student
- April 10, 2008: Investigation Continues Week After Slaying Of UW Student
- April 7, 2008: Hundreds Turn Out For Candlelight Vigil In Honor Of Slain UW Student
- April 5, 2008: Police Investigate Tips In Slaying Of UW Student
- April 5, 2008: Marshfield High Struggles To Understand Former Student's Death
- April 4, 2008: Slain Woman Remembered As Driven Student With Big Goals
- April 4, 2008: Authorities Continue To Scour Slain Student's Apartment
- April 4, 2008: UW Students Concerned About Safety After Slaying
- April 4, 2008: Authorities Confirm UW Student's Death Was Homicide
- April 3, 2008: Authorities Continue To Investigate After UW Student Found Dead
- April 3, 2008: Police Investigate UW-Madison Student's Death As Homicide
Copyright 2008 by Channel 3000. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.






