Posted on 05/07/2013 4:21:45 AM PDT by Pan_Yan
CLEVELAND (AP) — The woman's voice was frantic and breathless, and she was choking back tears. "Help me. I'm Amanda Berry," she told a 911 dispatcher. "I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years and I'm, I'm here, I'm free now."
Those words led police to a house near downtown Cleveland where Berry and two other women who vanished a decade ago were found Monday, elating family members and friends who had longed to see them again.
Authorities later arrested three brothers. They released no names and gave no information about them or what charges they might face.
City officials have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday morning.
Police Chief Michael McGrath said he thinks Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were tied up at the house and held there since they were in their teens or early 20s.
A 6-year-old also was found in the home, but police didn't disclose the child's identity or relationship to anyone in the home. The women appeared to be in good health and were taken to a hospital to be evaluated and be reunited with relatives.
The women's escape and rescue began with a frenzied cry for help.
A neighbor, Charles Ramsey, told WEWS-TV he heard screaming Monday and saw Berry, whom he didn't recognize, at a door that would open only enough to fit a hand through. He said she was trying desperately to get outside and pleaded for help to reach police.
(Excerpt) Read more at charter.net ...
I’m sure all people who live by “follow your heart” agree with you and would disregard any argument for logic.
Or some people are so perfect that they think only their approach is logical. Since I have actually worked in situations where people were panicking, I have some real world experience that showing some humanity works wonders.
Me, too. You should try it with logic sometime. People suffer less.
You have no clue, seriously. Even our soldiers, in the midst of battle show compassion. The guy was wrong, enough so that the administrators made a point today of putting together times of the call to when police arrived because they know it is going to be questioned.
Go back and listen to the call. Pay attention to when he says they will send a car when one is free and what her response is. If he wouldn’t have done that, and if he would have simple said I will stay on the phone with you until you see the police, I guarantee her level of emotion would have deescalated. Instead, it increased.
Go back and listen.
Tone was fine. What he said was not. And, no, in this case no police were on the way when the operator was talking to the caller. . . Not until the victim insisted.
Prioritizing 911 calls is like triage. Some calls go to the head of the line— like this one. My gawd, she was a victim for 10-yrs and escaped and it is okay to just go oh-hum, the cops will get there when they get there is absolute madness.
Where I live, two family members are 911 operators and are not to hang up on any person calling for help until police/ambulance arrive.
LOL! You and your “compassion” will use up her adrenaline edge while the monster next door comes to get her because you think it’s too cruel to reveal that the cop car may take some time to get there.
Yeah, okay.
They also don’t tell them police aren’t available, they get the call into the system and try to calm down the caller and make sure they are safe, as safe as you can over the phone. They get as much information as possible on what has happened and in this situation any and all info on the others in the home, the kidnappers, etc would be recorded and helpful if some how it didn’t turn out as it did.
Brut beasts! All three of them!
Seeing these three and then thinking of those young gals....I can’t imagine how they endured!
You and your cold calculating “logic” panicked her further and caused far more burning of energy by ratcheting up her emotional response to the situation. He was wrong, and those that are in power know it. You know it too, just too stubborn to admit it.
Just reported that the dispatcher did the right thing in getting the information they would need...police were dispatched in 33 seconds and at the residence in 2 minutes.
I don’t disagree that he got the information. He could have done a better job from the point where he said a car would be sent as soon as one became available on.
see post 111...just reported dispatcher did the right thing...and further was said staying on the phone would not apply in making any difference. They are trained to get certain information and the dispatcher did just that.
No thanks.
Thanks. 911 operators have all kinds of rules to follow.
huh?
Here's the Cleveland police department's response on their Facebook page. There's something for everyone here:
Call-taker's Handling of 911 Call From Amanda Berry
"On behalf of Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson, I want to thank you for taking the time to express your concerns about our public safety call-taking process. The actions of the 9-1-1 call-taker who received an emergency call from Amanda Berry on Monday, May 6 are under review.
"While the call-taker complied with policies and procedures which enabled a very fast response by police, we have noted some concerns which will be the focus of our review, including the call-taker’s failure to remain on the line with Ms. Berry until police arrived on scene. Please be assured that this matter will be investigated, and if necessary, appropriate corrective action taken.
"I would like to note that the call-taker did take the call, create an event and send it to the channel dispatcher in less than 90 seconds. Within 1 minutes and 18 seconds from the time that the call-taker answered the call our dispatcher was broadcasting the assignment to available police units. As a result of the call-taker’s actions, police were dispatched and on scene in less than 2 minutes."
-Director Martin L. Flask, Cleveland Department of Public Safety
Imagine yourself, after 10-yrs captivity and abuse, being told by the police that they will come by when they get a chance.
Also, as a dispatcher, how do you KNOW the victim would not be caught again and dragged back? The dispatcher on the line could not do anything to stop the evil criminal, BUT the dispatcher could then add additional details AND have a recording of the event AND break-in and immediately dispatch a vehicle if one had not been dispatched already.
Bottom line is this: Regardless of the actual time it took to dispatch a car, the victim was told by the police she would get help when they have time, that the police are not responding immediately.
Excellent information for the victim to have. It could save her life.
Much better than a know-all government worker hiding the truth because he “just wants to help you” feel better.
<....”the victim was told by the police she would get help when they have time, that the police are not responding immediately.”.....>
That’s not true at all. You need to “Hear” the ‘entire’ communication between them, as well as among those at the dispatch who were also talking. ...you’re not fully informed yet.... and jumping to too many conclusions.
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