On Jan. 26, someone called 911 four times, claiming to be the Interstate 270 shooter. Instead of treating these phone calls with the seriousness one might expect, the two dispatchers, Cara Caldwell and Barbara J. Taylor, who handled the calls, seemed to dismiss the caller’s claim. One of the dispatchers, who was not named specifically, said in response to the claims “Whatever, whatever, whatever. You just want attention, don’t you? If you’re the shooter, where are you at?”
Although the two dispatchers are under investigation for their role in handling the calls, and although a dispatcher supervisor released a memo Monday underlining a new policy on handling 911 calls, that is still not enough. This should never have been a problem in the first place. Dispatchers for 911 should take all calls, but especially calls that potentially pertain to the I-270 shooting.
The Franklin County Sherrif’s Office has the previous example of the Washington, D.C., sniper investigations to follow. ABC and CNN stories about the 911 transcripts from the D.C. sniper shootings depict dispatchers who stayed calm and gathered the necessary information from callers about the various shootings that happened during the ordeal. While the I-270 shootings have not resulted in as many deaths like in D.C., that still does not lessen their importance or justify dismissing callers who claim to be the shooter – even if they are not.
In press conferences held by the Franklin County Sherrif’s Office, Chief Deputy Steve Martin has expressed his desire for the shooter to contact the sheriff. It would have made sense for dispatchers to be told to treat any call from someone claiming to be the I-270 shooter seriously as soon as the shootings became public knowledge.
Two things could occur as a result of the dispatchers’ error. The caller might not have actually been the I-270 shooter, in which case the dispatchers might have blown a chance at catching and convicting him of misusing the 911 phone system, which carries up to a one year jail sentence and a $2,500 fine.
Or the caller may very well have been the I-270 shooter, and, having been previously rebuffed in attempts to communicate with the authorities, may decide not to try again. Keeping a line of communication open with the shooter is crucial not only in determining who the shooter is, but also in determining their motive.
Although most aspects of the I-270 shooter investigation have been handled admirably, the 911 dispatcher aspect of it has not. We hope attempts to reform the system in place will be successful and dispatchers will learn to take similar 911 calls in the future seriously.
