Related To Story Brittany Zimmermann |
Report Says 911 Dispatcher Made Protocol Errors
Dispatcher Accused Of Mishandling Emergency Call From Victim's Phone
UPDATED: 4:55 pm CDT May 13,
2008
MADISON, Wis. -- Dane County officials released an edited report Friday detailing the handling of a 911 emergency call from the slain University of Wisconsin-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann's cell phone the day that she died.
VIDEO: Watch The Report |
READ: Dane County 911 Center Report (PDF Format) |
TALKBACK: What Do You Think? | The heavily redacted, 40-page report has few if any new revelations. It simply states that the dispatcher who took the 911 call from Zimmermann's cell phone committed two protocol errors.The report cites the operator for failing to call back the Zimmermann phone after the call was disconnected and for failing to immediately alert police to the call that followed that one -- a landline hang-up call from the Town of Middleton. After that hang-up, the operator called that landline number back and two men told her the call was a mistake. Procedure says any landline hang-up should automatically result in a police dispatch to the location."The chain of events surrounding the call suggest that (the dispatcher) having heard no indication of trouble on the call, chose to move on to another waiting call with the intention of calling back the first when (she) had the opportunity. (Her) failure to call back appears to be due to an unintentional oversight likely due to (her) moving on to handle subsequent calls," it says.But after the reports and news conferences, a big question is still unanswered: Should police have been automatically sent to Zimmermann, and would police have been able to help her or find the killer if they had been immediately dispatched?WISC-TV's Linda Eggert tried to get to the bottom of that question and others Friday during a taping of "For The Record" with 911 Center Director Joe Norwick and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.Norwick and Falk refused to say whether what is on the Zimmermann 911 call should have prompted the operator to immediately dispatch police.But last week, Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said that there was "evidence" on the 911 call that should have triggered a police response.But Norwick and Falk continued to say only that when it comes to the Zimmermann call, the operator failed to call back, and they wouldn't say if the "sounds" on the call should have prompted a police dispatch."A phone call live is not the same as a later audio recording of that call, so hearing something live and hearing something later are two different things," Norwick said. "So, for me to answer your question, you're asking me to speculate and have an opinion, and I don't at this time."When asked whether it would have been difficult to hear the call because of office noise, Norwick said it shouldn't have been an issue."There was no reason to believe there was any kind of noise of any other kind. There was not a tour of any kind in the center at that time," Norwick said.The dispatcher, through her union, has said she didn't hear anything on the Zimmermann call to indicate an emergency, and her union representative who listened to the call backs her up.On Wednesday, union officials representing the dispatcher who requested a transfer unrelated to the incident, disputed accusations that she mishandled the call. The dispatcher said she made the right decisions and followed 911 protocols when she took the call, according to Laurie Lane, the chief steward of the dispatcher's union.Norwick did confirm that had police been sent to check out the Zimmermann cell phone call, they would have gone to the apartment right next door, a location an operator would have gotten quickly."That takes a matter of a second to a minute," Norwick said.Norwick also clarified a policy on Web surfing for 911 dispatchers. He said they can do so for "professional reasons." The Dane County 911 call report showed that the dispatcher who handled the Zimmermann call had been online, surfing sites like Google, Channel3000.com and Culvers.com.Norwick said that was perfectly OK. He said operators have to eat at their consoles and all of the dispatcher's Web activity was dubbed appropriate that day. If fact, officials said the dispatcher was not online during the time of the Zimmermann call.
Previous Stories:
- May 9, 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: Oversight Board Chair Says He Heard Of 911 Call Day After Slaying
- 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
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