Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Suspect in 9-Year-Old's Murder Found Dead in D.C. Jail
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Go Home Already: Make Room
Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
If you think the Montgomery County 911 system has problems, D.C.'s 911 office isn't likely going to be having an easy time of it this week either. On Saturday the Examiner ran a small story about how D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At large) had to make a 911 call early Friday morning and says he received "textbook badgering treatment" from the operator.
Catania placed the 911 call after being awakened by the sounds of a screaming woman, and has since testified during an oversight hearing of the Office of Unified Communications about what he described as rude treatment by a D.C. 911 operator. Janice Quintana, director of the 911 office, disputed Catania's account, saying she reviewed a recording of the call and thought the Council member sounded frantic and unintelligible.
As representatives for the pharmaceutical industry would be sure to confirm, Catania is one of the last people you'd want to have gunning for you. We won't be surprised if some more 911 reform legislation makes its way in front of the D.C. Council in the new year.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Dave, you better wake up and smell the real flavor, 'cause 911 is a fake life saver.
Release the call and come back..
Yes release the tape of the call and let's judge for ourselves.
yes. there is an easy answer to this problem: release the recording and let people decide for themselves whether the operator (and/or cantinia) acted appropriately here....
Catania gives me a headache - I simply have no respect for the man. However, 911 and 311 give me an even bigger headache. The operators are rude, they don't want to take reports, the try to discourage you from reporting things....
The police say "Call. We'll respond. Call." Call 911 and sometimes you get help and sometimes not. Call 311 and generally you get a whole lot of hassle, and I am not convinced they ever dispatch anyone.
So, much as I dislike Mr Catania, I bet he's in the right here. I'd love to hear the tape.
Back when I first moved to this city, I was on the Mall near Lincoln Memorial on an unseasonably hot May afternoon when a man fell down into a seizure. A tourist loaned me her cell phone to make a 911 call. I told the 911 operator that he was between the Korean and Lincoln Memorials but she insisted on having cross streets. What the hell?!
I knew it was near Independence, but had no friggin' idea what the other cross street was (I guess now 24th St, but is it NW or SW?). And neither would a tourist.
So say you're a tourist on the Mall seeing a murder or an assault and you have no idea where you are and the 911 operator can't tell you either. Just lovely.
lou: I was in New Orleans and someone fell in Jackson Square, and the same thing happened. It's a common problem with 911 systems, but operators should be trained for it.
And don't even try calling for help on 9 1/2 street.
p.s. for what it's worth, i've had good experiences with dispatch. recently, i phoned in a non-emergency (a homeless person fondling himself at a bus stop). the operator was courteous and the police response prompt.
Duh? Here's a way to determine if you will receive shitty service from a government employee.
Question: Is the employee hired by the District?
Yes?--->Then expect shitty/demeaning treatment.
Even though I've only ever had to call DC 911 twice and 311 once in my life, the operators were great each time.
If ever there were an expert on rudeness, it's David Catania. We can be certain he's chomping at the bit to get his interrupt on soon at a hearing near you.
On another note, I once called 911 to report a burglary in progress on U Street. The operator actually uttered the phrase, "What are you -- a cop?"
True story.
I'd certainly love to hear the tape for myself but it wouldn't surprise me if the 911 operator was rude. The last time we called 911 it was to report gunshots and her response was "well, have you been out there to look?" F*ck no, lady! That's what cops are for!
311, OTOH, has always been totally helpful. Go figure.
I'd certainly love to hear the tape for myself but it wouldn't surprise me if the 911 operator was rude. The last time we called 911 it was to report gunshots and her response was "well, have you been out there to look?" F*ck no, lady! That's what cops are for!
311, OTOH, has always been totally helpful. Go figure.
I can't believe I'm actually defending DC employees, but.....
A big problem with calling 911 for something that happens on the Mall or at some other 'famous' locale is that quite often the call comes from a tourist or someone that doesn't actually know where they are. They think they are at the Lincoln when they are actually at the Jefferson. And of course the bigger buildings and sites can be quite huge and where the ambulance / cops approach from may make a big difference as far as access time and such. That's why the 911 operator asks for cross streets.
And I'm sure they get a ton of calls where the caller just says "The Mall", as if it's a specific location.
Having said that, though, I have no problem believing 911 callers are inept. I had excellent 911 response when I was mugged, not so good when I was calling for I guess what they thought were less urgent matters.
Dear Council Member Catania: Sucks to be a DC resident who uses city services, huh? Welcome to your world.
New DCist feature: Overheard on 911?
(also had unconcerned operators when reporting gunshots)
Disco Stu - Once we called 911 because we SAW 2 young teenagers on bicycles riding down our alley firing an automatic weapon into the air. Police never showed up, operator refused to take us seriously.
Other times, I call and they show right up. I am convinced that getting or not getting service from police/fire/EMS is actually determined by who picks up your 911/311 call.
It is always going to be a case-by-case basis dependent on who the operator is. It is no different than any other customer service position. The root of the problem lies with the hiring process and supervisors. The organization either needs to hire polite and courteous individuals or they need to monitor and enforce good behavior in the workplace.
It is always going to be a case-by-case basis dependent on who the operator is. It is no different than any other customer service position. The root of the problem lies with the hiring process and supervisors. The organization either needs to hire polite and courteous individuals or they need to monitor and enforce good behavior in the workplace.
Polite and courteous is a good start, but I think everyone with an opinion on this has to realize that even a polite and courteous person is gonna have an edge in that job.
Its a high-volume position, and everybody you are talking to thinks they have an emergency. Some do, some don't.
And if the phones are ringing off of the hook (friday or saturday nights, particularly in the summer), you have to expect the operators to have something of a tone or edge.
Don't get me wrong, I'm just saying that the totality of the circumstances have to be considered for most complaints. Some conduct would be inappropriate under any circumstances, but quite a bit of operator conduct could probably be excused under some circumstances.
And, for what its worty, being a 911 operator in a major U.S. city is supposedly the second most stressful job in existence, second only to air traffic control.
Sorry, see what happens when I take sick days?!
sfw, totally. And your scenario wins as far scarier.
One of the factors I've been told matters: whether an incident occurs during a shift change. If the 2nd shift gets off before the 3rd shift arrive, well then you're screwed. Plus, the criminals know this and might try to strike during said window.