Reasons to vote against this bill:
Committee Bill-PCB GAP(Government Affairs Policy) 10-03-Introduced last week would restrict 911 calls from public records for a period of 60 days. And then no audio would be released. Just a redacted transcript. And the person requesting the redacted transcript would have to pay for the transcript.
• On the surface, you would assume we would be for this as it saves the victims families from hearing these painful calls over and over. However, these calls are an invaluable training opportunity for the industry. We are making an impact with raising public awareness of the issues and shortcomings of this industry because of the publicity of this tragedy.
• The media has been good to us and not airing the most painful parts of these calls
• Dateline and Primetime would not have shed a national spotlight on these issues if these calls are suppressed.
• If you really want people to die in vain-go ahead and support this bill but I would ask everyone to be outraged about this bill. It smells of nothing more than to shield the sheriffs departments from public scrutiny. How is the public supposed to feel comfortable that it’s local sheriff or police dept. is doing a good job if they are shielded from how calls are handled? An editorial in our local paper said it best last week: “Do you get more out of a song by hearing it or reading the lyrics on a piece of paper?”
• You never hear calls made on 9/11. You never hear calls made to 9-1-1 during the Virginia Tech Massacre or the Columbine High School Massacre. You do not hear the calls made during the Fort Hood tragedy. You do not hear the 9-1-1 calls made during the “Miracle on the Hudson” when the plane was going down and Sullenberger miraculously landed the plane. Why? Because the majority of the media is sensitive. Yes, there are those bad apples that you have in every industry that sensationalize and prey on other people’s tragedies. But they are the few. It is up to the public to protest to those media sources. Not for the State of Florida to pass a bad law.
• Our daughter in law’s tragedy has been taught in classes across the country. She has not died in vain because of these classes. Her story is taught on Day 1 to all new call takers and dispatchers in the entire state of California. Her story has been taught as far away as Samoa. If this bill had passed two years ago, this would not be possible.
• If this law had been past two years ago, we would be unaware of the tragedies and inefficiencies of 9-1-1 that occurred with Brian Wood of North Port, Jennifer Johnson of Tampa, and Olidia Kerr Day in Plantation. Lessons can be learned by all these tragedies. Sadly, it takes tragedies such as ours to bring about improvements to flawed systems.
• We empathize greatly with other victims’ families. We feel their pain having told our story hundreds of times. We know the pain and suffering of having to relive Denise’s tragedy. But this is not about Denise and it is not about the past. It is about future lives. It is about preventing future tragedies and keeping other families from having to endure the pain and suffering we have.
• Our local sheriff and other sheriffs are elected officials. How are concerned citizens to make informed and educated votes without transparency.
• There would be no quality assurance. Yes, some comm centers do their own quality assurance, but is not that the fox watching the henhouse?
Showing posts with label Jennifer Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jennifer Johnson. Show all posts
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Florida NENA
Unbelievable. We're on our way up to Tallahassee as I type to speak in front of the Florida House committee to urge them to pass HB355. Nathan and Rick will be there on Thursday to speak to the Senate Committee to urge them to pass SB742. Both bills are identical and both bills call for mandatory certification and training for all 9-1-1 call takers in the state of Florida.
Now, FL NENA opposes it. Why? Money. At least that's what they say. There are not enough funds. That's ridiculous! They oughta find the funds. It should not take rocket science and more studies. Get someone in there smart enough to find it. We're paying for it on our cell phone bills already. Where is that money going?
How many more people have to die due to call taker error???? They are the first link in the chain of our public safety. How can you put a price on Denise's life? or Olidia Kerr Day's life? or Brian Woods life? or Jennifer Johnson's life? and they are just a few in the past two years that we've HEARD about. How many have we not heard about that were covered up?
It's also odd considering we're working with and have the support of national NENA.... Unfriggin' believable.
These bills will not only help protect our citizens but they will help protect our first responders. The Florida Fraternal of Police support the bill! They agree wholeheartedly that something must be done.
But FL NENA apparently wants to spend the money elsewhere. That's just unconscionable IMO. If the call taker does not get the call right then the fireman may not make it to the fire, the EMT may not make it to the medical emergency, and the police may not be able to prevent an abduction about to be murder (as in Denise's case) in progress.
And more people like Brian Wood from North Port may be left lying beside the road "barely alive" and "soon to be dead" and then finally "dead" for 18 hours!
Ugh~
Now, FL NENA opposes it. Why? Money. At least that's what they say. There are not enough funds. That's ridiculous! They oughta find the funds. It should not take rocket science and more studies. Get someone in there smart enough to find it. We're paying for it on our cell phone bills already. Where is that money going?
How many more people have to die due to call taker error???? They are the first link in the chain of our public safety. How can you put a price on Denise's life? or Olidia Kerr Day's life? or Brian Woods life? or Jennifer Johnson's life? and they are just a few in the past two years that we've HEARD about. How many have we not heard about that were covered up?
It's also odd considering we're working with and have the support of national NENA.... Unfriggin' believable.
These bills will not only help protect our citizens but they will help protect our first responders. The Florida Fraternal of Police support the bill! They agree wholeheartedly that something must be done.
But FL NENA apparently wants to spend the money elsewhere. That's just unconscionable IMO. If the call taker does not get the call right then the fireman may not make it to the fire, the EMT may not make it to the medical emergency, and the police may not be able to prevent an abduction about to be murder (as in Denise's case) in progress.
And more people like Brian Wood from North Port may be left lying beside the road "barely alive" and "soon to be dead" and then finally "dead" for 18 hours!
Ugh~
Friday, July 10, 2009
Prepaid Wireless and 9-1-1 (Urgent Communications article)
My opinion, article to follow: While, yes, absolutely "the time for talking about this is over"! But, I'd like to add, we need to use those funds collected to be able to find these phones when someone calls for 9-1-1 assistance. Denise Amber Lee had the comm center on the phone for 7 (seven minutes). She most likely, fully expecting to be found. If we're not going to do any of this any time soon, we need to educate the public on what their cell phones and 9-1-1 centers can and cannot do. Too many people are watching CSI and Law and Order and have expectations about 9-1-1 that are quite simply unrealistic. So if you're just going to keep talking, at least, educate people. The woman who died in Oklahoma, Kimberly Rae Kendrick, the young boy in Australia, David Iredale, Jennifer Johnson in Tampa, Olida Kerr Day in Miami etc........ They all expected to be found through wireless technology and were tragically disappointed. Denise's call was made from the alleged murderer's own PRE-PAID cell phone. IMO NENA, and other 9-1-1 industry experts need to start educating people on how to use 9-1-1 from any wireless phone. They can't expect a sales clerk at a sales counter, making minimum wage plus commission, selling cell phones to do that job. JMHO. I've seen some literature but definitely not enough because regular folks, outside the industry, just have no clue.
Solution may be near for prepaid wireless 911 funding dilemma
Jul 9, 2009 5:51 PM, By Glenn Bischoff
The advent of prepaid wireless phones created a nasty problem for the 911 emergency-communications sector. Where wireless operators collect 911 fees from their monthly subscribers, they cannot collect from prepaid customers because those customers don’t have billing plans; they simply purchase minutes through various retail outlets.
It’s a problem that’s getting bigger, according to Patrick Halley, government affairs director for the National Emergency Number Association, who led a panel discussion on the topic last month at the organization’s annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Citing various sources, Halley said that 20% of wireless phone users are prepaid and that 80% of new users in May were such customers.
Moreover, Halley cited a report from the New Millennium Research Council that predicted that 60 million people nationwide would shift to less-expensive wireless plans as a result of the flagging economy. Many are expected to migrate to pay-as-you-go options.
“This is a rapidly growing market, without a doubt,” Halley said.
Several approaches have been floated to ensure that prepaid customers contribute their fair share to state 911 funds. The one that is gaining the most momentum calls for legislation that would require retailers to tack a 911 fee onto the purchase price of the prepaid wireless phone cards they sell, in part because it appears to be the easiest to implement.
But is this approach fair to the retail community? Mark Barfield, a vice president with Radio Shack, who also participated in the panel discussion at NENA, doesn’t think so. “There are tens of thousands of mom-and-pop stores that sell these things and many won’t comply,” Barfield said. “Small businesses will think that no one will catch them if they don’t charge the fee.”
That would put any retailer that does comply with such a mandate at a distinct competitive disadvantage, according to Barfield.
“People will come into our store and ask, ‘Why are you collecting this fee when the store down the street isn’t’ — and then they will shop down the street,” Barfield said. Not only would that cost the retailer a sale, but it also could create an unfair perception in the mind of the customer, he added. “People will think we’re cheating them, when we’re just complying with the law.”
But the fact that no mechanism currently is in place to collect 911 fees from pre-paid wireless users is costing the public-safety sector nationwide roughly $200 million a year, money that is sorely needed, especially in a down economy, said Jeff Robertson, executive director of the 911 Industry Alliance, who also participated in the panel discussion.
“The time for talking about this is over,” Robertson said. “A point-of-sale model is the best way to go, so let’s get it done. We could debate this for another year, but anything that we come up with, someone will be able to poke holes in it.”
For those retailers that believe this approach to be unfair, Robertson had some simple advice: “If you don’t want to subscribe to this model, don’t sell the [cards].”
http://urgentcomm.com/policy_and_law/news/prepaid-wireless-fees-20090709/
Solution may be near for prepaid wireless 911 funding dilemma
Jul 9, 2009 5:51 PM, By Glenn Bischoff
The advent of prepaid wireless phones created a nasty problem for the 911 emergency-communications sector. Where wireless operators collect 911 fees from their monthly subscribers, they cannot collect from prepaid customers because those customers don’t have billing plans; they simply purchase minutes through various retail outlets.
It’s a problem that’s getting bigger, according to Patrick Halley, government affairs director for the National Emergency Number Association, who led a panel discussion on the topic last month at the organization’s annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Citing various sources, Halley said that 20% of wireless phone users are prepaid and that 80% of new users in May were such customers.
Moreover, Halley cited a report from the New Millennium Research Council that predicted that 60 million people nationwide would shift to less-expensive wireless plans as a result of the flagging economy. Many are expected to migrate to pay-as-you-go options.
“This is a rapidly growing market, without a doubt,” Halley said.
Several approaches have been floated to ensure that prepaid customers contribute their fair share to state 911 funds. The one that is gaining the most momentum calls for legislation that would require retailers to tack a 911 fee onto the purchase price of the prepaid wireless phone cards they sell, in part because it appears to be the easiest to implement.
But is this approach fair to the retail community? Mark Barfield, a vice president with Radio Shack, who also participated in the panel discussion at NENA, doesn’t think so. “There are tens of thousands of mom-and-pop stores that sell these things and many won’t comply,” Barfield said. “Small businesses will think that no one will catch them if they don’t charge the fee.”
That would put any retailer that does comply with such a mandate at a distinct competitive disadvantage, according to Barfield.
“People will come into our store and ask, ‘Why are you collecting this fee when the store down the street isn’t’ — and then they will shop down the street,” Barfield said. Not only would that cost the retailer a sale, but it also could create an unfair perception in the mind of the customer, he added. “People will think we’re cheating them, when we’re just complying with the law.”
But the fact that no mechanism currently is in place to collect 911 fees from pre-paid wireless users is costing the public-safety sector nationwide roughly $200 million a year, money that is sorely needed, especially in a down economy, said Jeff Robertson, executive director of the 911 Industry Alliance, who also participated in the panel discussion.
“The time for talking about this is over,” Robertson said. “A point-of-sale model is the best way to go, so let’s get it done. We could debate this for another year, but anything that we come up with, someone will be able to poke holes in it.”
For those retailers that believe this approach to be unfair, Robertson had some simple advice: “If you don’t want to subscribe to this model, don’t sell the [cards].”
http://urgentcomm.com/policy_and_law/news/prepaid-wireless-fees-20090709/
Thursday, April 23, 2009
David Iredale and the tragedy of it all in Australia, 17 years old
My opinion first; article to follow.
David Iredale was a young teenager from Sydney, Australia who lost his life after calling 0-0-0 (9-1-1 in Australia).
This is so tragic. There are technologies available that could have found this young man. We're just not using them.
We need to use the techonologies. IMO, 9-1-1 should be evolving right along side consumer communications technology.
This is just too tragic for words. And I'm sure this has probably happened here in the states. We just don't hear about it. This boy could have been saved if not by the dispatchers then by technology. It's not that expensive, folks. If we all just paid $2 a month more on our cell phone bills, and the federal government insured it was going to GPS systems in all cell phones, that would be the cheapest life insurance you could buy. Only $24 dollars a year to be sure your cell phone could track you. I think that's worth it. It would've helped save this young man, it would have helped save Denise, Jennifer Johnson and Olidia Kerr Day. $24 dollars a year and make it mandatory the phone companies do it.
Thank you, Tracie from Down Under for sharing this story with me. It breaks my heart. I can't imagine how this young man suffered. I'm sure it happens more often than we know in boats, in mountains, in snowstorms, etc... God bless his family with as much peace and comfort as they can handle. If they wish to get in touch with us, we'll be glad to share with them what we're doing in this country. Maybe they can tell us what they are doing. You know my email address.
Placed five calls within half-hour
Operator: "I could have done better"
See story: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25373564-5006784,00.html April 23, 2009
Article from: NEWS.com.au
Fatal bushwalk ... teenager David Iredale died in the NSW Blue Mountains despite making several 000 calls.
THE harrowing final words of Sydney teenager David Iredale - recorded as he lay dehydrated, desperate and close to death - have been revealed in full for the first time.
Transcripts of the lost bushwalker's repeated pleas for help to three triple-0 operators were released as those same women admitted a string of critical blunders at the inquest into his death.
David, 17, died when he became separated from his two friends on a hike in the Blue Mountains in December 2006.
He and his friends ran out of water just a day into their three-day hike, and David became lost after leaving them to find the Kedumba River.
In the hours that followed, he made repeated desperate phone calls to 000 operators, who insisted that he give them a street address to which they could send an ambulance.
David's body was found eight days later.
This is a transcript of the 000 calls David made while lost.
LAURA MEADE
Time: 11:59:42
Duration: 1 min, 41 sec
LM: Ambulance emergency. What suburb please?
DI: Hi, this is an emergency
(Operator cuts over David)
LM: What suburb?
DI: Katoomba
LM: What was the address in Katoomba?
DI: Um, I have been walking the Mt Solitary
(Operator cuts over David)
LM: What's the address in Katoomba?
DI: Yep, I have been walking the Mt Solitary track and I am near the Kedumba River and yeah, that's all I know
LM: It's Mt Solitary is it?
DI: Yes
LM: Do you know where you are?
DI: No ... I can't walk far at all
LM: Oh. What was the street you started out walking from?
DI: No idea
LM: OK. So you've just wandered into the middle of nowhere, is that what you're saying?
DI: I don't have a map
LM: You need to tell me where to send the ambulance
DI: (Inaudible)
LM: Listen. Listen. Listen. The Mt Solitary walking track may not be on a map. You need to tell me what the nearest street you know that you've gone past is
DI: Look, I'm about to faint
LM: OK darling, you need to tell me where you are, so we know where to send the ambulance
(Call drops out)
STACEY DICKENS
Time: 12:06:25
Duration: 10 seconds
SD: Ambulance
DI: This is an emergency, emergency (yelling)
SD: What's the address?
DI: Katoomba
(Call drops out)
LAURA MEADE
Time: 12:07:55
Duration: 40 seconds
LM: Ambulance emergency. What suburb please?
DI: I'm lost, I need water, I haven't had water for a long period of time (yelling)
(Operator cuts over)
LM: Sir, do you need an ambulance there?
DI: Yes
LM: Then what suburb are you in?
DI: I'm in Katoomba
(Operator cuts over)
LM: Where in Katoomba are you Sir?
DI: I'm not in Katoomba actually. The Mt Solitary walk. I'm going down to the Kedumba River on that walk
(Ms Meade keeps asking for a street. Line eventually drops out)
RENEE WATERS
Time: 12:10:08
Duration: 5 min, 1 sec
RW: Ambulance emergency. What suburb please?
DI: Hello
RW: Where?
DI: Hello
RW: Hello
DI: I need an ambulance
RW: Where are you sir?
DI: I set out from a hike at Katoomba and went to Mt Solitary hike
RW: OK, you're at Katoomba?
DI: Yes
RW: OK, whereabouts in Katoomba are you?
DI: I'm not in Katoomba, I've walked from Katoomba
RW: OK, so where are you then?
DI: I went to the Mt Solitary, Mt Solitary walking track and I'm going to the Kedumba River (yelling)
RW: OK, so you're on the Mt, Mt, um, Solitary track
DI: Yes
RW: Are you going to where?
DI: I'm on the slope going down to the Mt, to the sorry, sorry cancel. I'm on the slope going down to the Kedumba River (yelling)
RW: Kedumba River?
DI: Yes
RW: OK, Ked, Kedumba River. You're on the track, on a road track are you sir?
DI: No, it's bush bash, I may not exactly be on the track (yelling)
RW: OK so you're not exactly on the track. So you're in a car then are you?
DI: No, it's bush, trees everywhere. Lying down. Fainted (yelling)
RW: You're lying down and you fainted?
DI: Yes
RW: OK, so when you left where did you start at? (David describes having walked for two days)
DI: I went on the Federal pass walking track
RW: You started on the Federal path walking track?
DI: Yes
RW: Federal path or pass?
DI: Pass, as in the pass the lemonade or something
RW: Oh, Federal P A S S
DI: Yes
RW: Alright, we're trying to find out sir. We're just trying to find out where we can find you
DI: Wait, sorry, wait. There are two other people where, I don't where they are
RW: OK, so you can see two other people can you?
DI: No I can't see them, I can't hear them, but they are there
RW: OK, now if you can't see them or hear them but you know that they're there how do you know they're there?
DI: Because they were with me
RW: They left you did they?
DI: We got separated, I don't know how
RW: OK. You got separated. Sir, there's actually no need to yell, alright? Can you calm down, we are trying to find you. So what happened, sir?
DI: I just fainted
RW: You fainted and they left you there?
DI: They didn't, I fainted where I couldn't see them
RW: OK, you fainted where they couldn't see you and they just left you there. They didn't try looking for you?
(Ms Waters asks David questions about what direction he was facing)
DI: I don't know, I can't see properly
(The call goes on for several more minutes, David is heard heavy breathing, but continues to try to describe his location near the Kedumba River. The call cuts out)
STACEY DICKENS
Time: 12:27:59
Duration: 3 min, 58 sec
SD: Ambulance
DI: Hi
SD: You're through to the ambulance
DI: Hi
SD: Do you want an ambulance?
DI: Yes
SD: To what address?
DI: Actually, it's probably, it's in the bush
SD: Whereabouts?
DI: Katoomba. I called there about an hour, 45 minutes ago and then I fainted (inaudible). I am near the Kedumba river. I was going down to it on the Mt Solitary track
SD: Just hang on for a minute
(On hold for 28 seconds. Ms Dickens returns and again asks him where he is before telling David to hang on again and then places him on hold for another 24 seconds)
SD: Now what street are we coming in off?
DI: Hello? Hello?
SD: What street are we coming in off?
DI: Sorry?
SD: Tell me where you are?
DI: Sorry?
SD: Don't keep saying that, tell me where you are
DI: (Heavy breathing) I'm facing the Kedumba River. I came through, oh, the mountain in the middle of the valley that the Three Sisters are on
SD: And what track was that? Tell me where you are
DI: Sorry?
SD: What track is it?
DI: I can't remember. Oh, I don't have a map (groans and heavy breathing). I've been out here for an hour
SD: (Pauses for seven seconds)
DI: Hello?
SD: I need to know exactly where you are
(Call goes on like this for several minutes before David is heard breathing heavily and then the line cuts out)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
An emotional couple of days
I haven't blogged about my emotions lately. I've been blogging 9-1-1 and cookbook stuff because it helps to be doing something positive and the cookbook stuff has been keeping me busy. But the emotional roller coaster continues to run.
Next week members of the foundation (including moi) are going to Las Vegas for the NAED (National Academies of Emergency Dispatch) conference. I have mixed emotions about it. I believe I should be excited about going to Las Vegas. Who doesn't get excited about Vegas? Well.... I'm not all that excited. I take that back. I am and I'm not. I am excited because it will give me an opportunity to meet 9-1-1 industry people. When Mark and Nate came home from San Diego they said it was the most incredible experience (other than getting married and having children) they ever had. That the encouragement and the support for our cause and for them was phenomenal. They said the people were just wonderful. It made them feel good. I so want to feel good. Suddenly all we are doing was making sense and we felt we were being heard. So, there are many people think it would be good for me to meet some of these same people and experience the same positive energy. More importantly I'm to man the booth. Which I'm good at and have lots of experience doing.
I'm not looking forward to it because I don't want to be that person people feel sorry for. I'm afraid that I might break down and share my grief too much. I'm afraid of telling Denise's story over and over again. I'm sure I can. I'm sure I just have the jitters but as I've said before, it's not easy getting out there and putting your pain on display.
I'm worried about parties etc.... I don't want to go to parties. Yes, I want to meet people and network to promote our cause. Yes, I want to laugh. I like to laugh. Yes, I want to go to dinner. But I don't think I can actually party. We'll see.
Aside to Kevin: If you're reading this, dinner is on! You've been so incredibly supportive.
I'm just sharing my thoughts. I'm not sure how I feel.
But I think it's an important trip and the right thing to do. I'm primarily going to work the booth at the convention. I've been working boothes at conventions and home shows for years. I'm good at it. I know Denise's story and 9-1-1 debacle in her case inside and out. I feel very comfortable about doing it. It'll be nice discussing it with people who actually know what I'm talking about. It'll be wonderful to hear their thoughts as to what can be done, what we should do, and where we should go from here.
But I know it's going to take a lot of emotional energy.
Today
Today wasn't a good day for me. We're shipping a lot of stuff out to the conference center before we go. We have a very large picture of Denise. It's this picture about 35" W x 25" H
Above is a picture from the newspaper early in 2008. I had to drive by it twice today to get Tammy's workplace. Since this picture was taken many more bears have been added and many many more flowers. It was hard for me to see. I don't go near that area unless I absolutely have toand today I had to. I avoid it like the plague. Anyhow, seeing it was almost unbearable. Why? Because it was dirty and dingy. The bears were filthy with highway grit and dust (it's very close to I-75). I thought, oh my! So I went to the local dollar store to get some silk flowers (the closest Michael's is a half hour away) but they were closed due to the economy. That's what their sign said. So I went to the Publix. They didn't have any silk flowers. And there I was in a quandary and almost breaking into tears as to what to do. It seemed silly, a woman in the middle of a grocery store getting ready to cry. I know this sounds pathetic but the feelings were very genuine. What do you do? So, I bought some real daisies and drove back to the sign. I cleaned away as much debris as I could and all the dead flowers. I was in tears. I had to fight the "compulsion" to get a sponge and start cleaning the bears and faded ribbons. I wanted to brighten it up and make it cheery. The bears up close didn't look as bad as they do far away. You could see they had been placed there with love.
I don't know whether we should take it all down or leave it up. I think it should stay. But it has to be kept nice! By the time I left it, I was a wreck. When I get back from the conference I plan on going back with very bright silk flowers. I can't clean the bears but I can spruce them up some.
Anyhow, I cried all the way home (half an hour drive). I felt people were looking at me. There I was in the car with Denise's lifesize picture sitting next to me. I could've turned the picture over so I wouldn't have to see it. That would've kept me from reaching out to her. But that not right!!! It's all still that painful. Then I have the bumper sticker so I felt I was being stared at. I know there are people out there who thinking we should just "get over it".
So many people want me to read "The Shack" by William P Young. It's a Christian book about a man's whose daughter was abducted and brutally murdered in a shack. Four years later he receives a note supposedly from God that tells him to visit the shack. Sorry but I can't read that! I don't want to read about someone being abducted and brutally murdered. I don't care if they do find God in the end. (I haven't lost God. I'm just mad at him.)
Besides, I'm sorry but I think it's going to take longer than 4 years to get over this!
The good thing about the book is that it helps people better understand what we're going through as far as grief and anger. It doesn't help them necessarily understand our relationships (or at least my relationship) with God. That's a personal journey and everyone's is different.
Our foundation
Our foundation isn't going to stop people from being murdered. The murderer killed Denise. He's evil. But if we don't do all we can to help prevent further mishaps in 9-1-1 centers which will help prevent other families from suffering the way we and other families such as the Perez's and the Johnson's and the Cantrell's and the Zimmerman's and the Koon's etc...etc...etc... I just think we'd be doing a great wrong.
Sorry to go on.
Yesterday
Yesterday was even more emotional. Sue was in an accident with the babies. All are fine. It wasn't Sue's fault. Some maniac pulled out in front of her and could've killed the boys. We were all shaken up. Just the thought of losing the boys was terrifying. And I mean terrifying. Poor poor Sue. I can't imagine what she felt. Thank God, she was smart. She saved the boys lives. And Denise and whoever up above were watching out for them. I know the other families know what I mean. I mean it was terrifying thinking we could've lost those boys.
Oddly, Sue tried to call 9-1-1 from her cell phone but the call seemed to keep dropping. (We're pretty close to the water). They had to go in and call from a local business. She doesn't know why her call wouldn't go through.
Again, sorry to go on.
Much love and peace. We're all fine.
I've printed this in both blogs because I don't know if it's about grief or 9-1-1. I'm that muddled.
Next week members of the foundation (including moi) are going to Las Vegas for the NAED (National Academies of Emergency Dispatch) conference. I have mixed emotions about it. I believe I should be excited about going to Las Vegas. Who doesn't get excited about Vegas? Well.... I'm not all that excited. I take that back. I am and I'm not. I am excited because it will give me an opportunity to meet 9-1-1 industry people. When Mark and Nate came home from San Diego they said it was the most incredible experience (other than getting married and having children) they ever had. That the encouragement and the support for our cause and for them was phenomenal. They said the people were just wonderful. It made them feel good. I so want to feel good. Suddenly all we are doing was making sense and we felt we were being heard. So, there are many people think it would be good for me to meet some of these same people and experience the same positive energy. More importantly I'm to man the booth. Which I'm good at and have lots of experience doing.
I'm not looking forward to it because I don't want to be that person people feel sorry for. I'm afraid that I might break down and share my grief too much. I'm afraid of telling Denise's story over and over again. I'm sure I can. I'm sure I just have the jitters but as I've said before, it's not easy getting out there and putting your pain on display.
I'm worried about parties etc.... I don't want to go to parties. Yes, I want to meet people and network to promote our cause. Yes, I want to laugh. I like to laugh. Yes, I want to go to dinner. But I don't think I can actually party. We'll see.
Aside to Kevin: If you're reading this, dinner is on! You've been so incredibly supportive.
I'm just sharing my thoughts. I'm not sure how I feel.
But I think it's an important trip and the right thing to do. I'm primarily going to work the booth at the convention. I've been working boothes at conventions and home shows for years. I'm good at it. I know Denise's story and 9-1-1 debacle in her case inside and out. I feel very comfortable about doing it. It'll be nice discussing it with people who actually know what I'm talking about. It'll be wonderful to hear their thoughts as to what can be done, what we should do, and where we should go from here.
But I know it's going to take a lot of emotional energy.
Today
Today wasn't a good day for me. We're shipping a lot of stuff out to the conference center before we go. We have a very large picture of Denise. It's this picture about 35" W x 25" H
The picture is almost life size. As I was driving, I had the picture in the front seat and I couldn't help touching her face. It brought back memories of when we used to go places with the kids (doctors etc...). It was hard driving and holding back tears.
Then I stopped at one of the foundation member's workplaces to ship the stuff. The foundation member (a true angel in blue) works less than a 1/4 mile from where Denise's body was found. At the entrance to the street where Denise's body was found the road is closed but there's teddy bears, flowers, ribbons etc.... on one of the road signs.
Above is a picture from the newspaper early in 2008. I had to drive by it twice today to get Tammy's workplace. Since this picture was taken many more bears have been added and many many more flowers. It was hard for me to see. I don't go near that area unless I absolutely have toand today I had to. I avoid it like the plague. Anyhow, seeing it was almost unbearable. Why? Because it was dirty and dingy. The bears were filthy with highway grit and dust (it's very close to I-75). I thought, oh my! So I went to the local dollar store to get some silk flowers (the closest Michael's is a half hour away) but they were closed due to the economy. That's what their sign said. So I went to the Publix. They didn't have any silk flowers. And there I was in a quandary and almost breaking into tears as to what to do. It seemed silly, a woman in the middle of a grocery store getting ready to cry. I know this sounds pathetic but the feelings were very genuine. What do you do? So, I bought some real daisies and drove back to the sign. I cleaned away as much debris as I could and all the dead flowers. I was in tears. I had to fight the "compulsion" to get a sponge and start cleaning the bears and faded ribbons. I wanted to brighten it up and make it cheery. The bears up close didn't look as bad as they do far away. You could see they had been placed there with love.I don't know whether we should take it all down or leave it up. I think it should stay. But it has to be kept nice! By the time I left it, I was a wreck. When I get back from the conference I plan on going back with very bright silk flowers. I can't clean the bears but I can spruce them up some.
Anyhow, I cried all the way home (half an hour drive). I felt people were looking at me. There I was in the car with Denise's lifesize picture sitting next to me. I could've turned the picture over so I wouldn't have to see it. That would've kept me from reaching out to her. But that not right!!! It's all still that painful. Then I have the bumper sticker so I felt I was being stared at. I know there are people out there who thinking we should just "get over it".
So many people want me to read "The Shack" by William P Young. It's a Christian book about a man's whose daughter was abducted and brutally murdered in a shack. Four years later he receives a note supposedly from God that tells him to visit the shack. Sorry but I can't read that! I don't want to read about someone being abducted and brutally murdered. I don't care if they do find God in the end. (I haven't lost God. I'm just mad at him.)
Besides, I'm sorry but I think it's going to take longer than 4 years to get over this!
The good thing about the book is that it helps people better understand what we're going through as far as grief and anger. It doesn't help them necessarily understand our relationships (or at least my relationship) with God. That's a personal journey and everyone's is different.
Our foundation
Our foundation isn't going to stop people from being murdered. The murderer killed Denise. He's evil. But if we don't do all we can to help prevent further mishaps in 9-1-1 centers which will help prevent other families from suffering the way we and other families such as the Perez's and the Johnson's and the Cantrell's and the Zimmerman's and the Koon's etc...etc...etc... I just think we'd be doing a great wrong.
Sorry to go on.
Yesterday
Yesterday was even more emotional. Sue was in an accident with the babies. All are fine. It wasn't Sue's fault. Some maniac pulled out in front of her and could've killed the boys. We were all shaken up. Just the thought of losing the boys was terrifying. And I mean terrifying. Poor poor Sue. I can't imagine what she felt. Thank God, she was smart. She saved the boys lives. And Denise and whoever up above were watching out for them. I know the other families know what I mean. I mean it was terrifying thinking we could've lost those boys.
Oddly, Sue tried to call 9-1-1 from her cell phone but the call seemed to keep dropping. (We're pretty close to the water). They had to go in and call from a local business. She doesn't know why her call wouldn't go through.
Again, sorry to go on.
Much love and peace. We're all fine.
I've printed this in both blogs because I don't know if it's about grief or 9-1-1. I'm that muddled.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
www.policemag.com Web Poll
Question:
Are you confident that your 911 dispatchers are providing you with all available and pertinent information on your calls?
Yes: 20.6 %
No: 79.4 %
Link here: http://www.policemag.com/WebPolls/Web-Poll.aspx
I don't even know what to say. I'm without words and saddened.
Obviously, Denise's tragedy isn't isolated especially in Florida. Olidia Kerr Day and Jennifer Johnson here in Florida. Matthew Cantrell in Texas. Brittany Zimmerman........
The three policemen killed in Allegheny County equally tragic if not more so.
All saints and martyrs for a cause. The cause being to fix 9-1-1 nation wide. Let's give these call takers and dispatchers the technology they need and let's certify them. And let's weed out the ones that will not step up and use the technologies that are available to them. Not to mention the ones who have lost their compassion. We've all heard those stories. I can't help but think of Matthew Cantrell. If you haven't read his story, he's the little one year old I blogged about here:
http://toosad4words.blogspot.com/2009/03/matthew-cantrell-and-9-1-1.html
It's a high stress job and we need our front lines to be top notch people with not only compassion but integrity.
In my opinion, there are outstanding 9-1-1 centers and then not-so-good 9-1-1 centers. I imagine that 20% that answered yes are working in states that have standards set. I imagine they have quality assurance programs and are using the best technologies available and affordable.
This poll is a prime example of why we need a set of national standards.
I've never been one to be for more laws. At one time I was a registered Libertarian. But in this case? Geesh. We have to do something.
I posted yesterday what happened in our area on Friday. They got it right. They say they did. But only after Denise lost her life do they have the radios finally communicating properly between the Sarasota and Charlotte County.
I hate to see others have to lose their lives so that patching radios isn't a problem.
We still don't know if the 9-1-1 call taker who handled Jane Kowalski's call is using her CAD system properly. Is she still writing things down first? So she has 15 years experience! What good is all that experience if she's not following procedure and using the latest technology available to her.
It's just wrong. We have to get this right. And it has to be nation wide.
Just my opinion.
Are you confident that your 911 dispatchers are providing you with all available and pertinent information on your calls?
Yes: 20.6 %
No: 79.4 %
Link here: http://www.policemag.com/WebPolls/Web-Poll.aspx
I don't even know what to say. I'm without words and saddened.
Obviously, Denise's tragedy isn't isolated especially in Florida. Olidia Kerr Day and Jennifer Johnson here in Florida. Matthew Cantrell in Texas. Brittany Zimmerman........
The three policemen killed in Allegheny County equally tragic if not more so.
All saints and martyrs for a cause. The cause being to fix 9-1-1 nation wide. Let's give these call takers and dispatchers the technology they need and let's certify them. And let's weed out the ones that will not step up and use the technologies that are available to them. Not to mention the ones who have lost their compassion. We've all heard those stories. I can't help but think of Matthew Cantrell. If you haven't read his story, he's the little one year old I blogged about here:
http://toosad4words.blogspot.com/2009/03/matthew-cantrell-and-9-1-1.html
It's a high stress job and we need our front lines to be top notch people with not only compassion but integrity.
In my opinion, there are outstanding 9-1-1 centers and then not-so-good 9-1-1 centers. I imagine that 20% that answered yes are working in states that have standards set. I imagine they have quality assurance programs and are using the best technologies available and affordable.
This poll is a prime example of why we need a set of national standards.
I've never been one to be for more laws. At one time I was a registered Libertarian. But in this case? Geesh. We have to do something.
I posted yesterday what happened in our area on Friday. They got it right. They say they did. But only after Denise lost her life do they have the radios finally communicating properly between the Sarasota and Charlotte County.
I hate to see others have to lose their lives so that patching radios isn't a problem.
We still don't know if the 9-1-1 call taker who handled Jane Kowalski's call is using her CAD system properly. Is she still writing things down first? So she has 15 years experience! What good is all that experience if she's not following procedure and using the latest technology available to her.
It's just wrong. We have to get this right. And it has to be nation wide.
Just my opinion.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Public Safety Telecommunications Week
Another good article in the North Port/Charlotte Sun today. See below.
This week is Public Safety Telecommunications Week, so, be sure to thank your local 9-1-1 dispatchers and call takers! Obviously don't call 9-1-1 and thank them. Use the non-emergency number:o) And if they are congenial feel free to ask them to send a recipe!!!! PeggyLee@DeniseAmberLee.org
Thank you.
And special thanks to call takers and dispatchers everywhere who do their best and utmost to help save lives. God bless you.
Call for Life
As 911 operators are commended this week, recent tragic events point to training as key
When Jennifer Johnson called 911 last November, frantically explaining that her ex-boyfriend had kidnapped and locked her in the trunk of a car, the Plant City operator never asked her name. In the 73 seconds the two were on the phone, the dispatcher only asked her location.
Johnson's body was found several days later. The 911 dispatcher, Amanda Hill, was fired, and the dispatch supervisor, a captain and sergeant all resigned.
According to a 700-page investigation, Hill didn't dispatch an officer to try to help Johnson, 31.
These type of mishaps require members of the local Denise Amber Lee Foundation to work year-round on raising awareness of 911 call center inefficiencies, promoting improvements to 911 call centers, and offering assistance to families of murder victims.
April 13-18 is designated as Public Safety Telecommunications Week, recognizing the daily service of 911 operators who help save lives. However, it comes shortly after another highly publicized 911 operator-related tragedy.
On April 4, an Allegheny County, Pa., 911 operator failed to alert officers there were weapons in a home where a mother and son were fighting. Moments after arriving, three officers were killed when a 22-year-old ex-Marine opened fire on them.
"You hate for this to happen," said Plant City Police Chief Bill McDaniel. "I've always said the telecommunications operator is the toughest job in law enforcement. They have to deal with the heightened tension of every situation. They must multitask, balance calls, provide important information, keep the caller calm by asking the right questions and usually have a person standing behind them."
McDaniel said some of his employees mishandled the 911 call, gave out misinformation and didn't follow standard policies.
"We acknowledge our mistakes and hope other agencies learn from them," he said, adding operators have 16 weeks of training.
McDaniel appreciates the efforts of the Denise Amber Lee Foundation in lobbying for universal 911 operator training throughout the United States. Fourteen years ago, he researched the benefits of universal training for 911 operators. He also patterned his 911 operations center after a statewide program in Oregon.
In Lee's case, she was kidnapped last year from her North Port home. As Lee, 21, struggled for her life, she, along with three others, called 911. During a manhunt for Lee, witness Jane Kowalski called a 911 Charlotte County Sheriff's operator and stayed on the line for nine minutes, providing locations where a suspicious man was driving. However, no deputy was dispatched to investigate the driver, who was later identified as the suspect in Lee's murder.
Most states have no standards for 911 telecommunications training. Every law enforcement agency establishes its own.
In North Port, 911 dispatchers handled 77,394 calls in 2008. This year, they have received 21,965 calls so far.
The city is currently two positions short of the budgeted 12 telecommunication operators.
"Our standards are much greater than any mandatory training," said North Port Police Sgt. Scott Graham. "It's necessary for our operators to be competent in every aspect of the job."
The city's telecommunications shift supervisors, Cindy Martin and Misty Elmore, prepare presentations to administrators on a quarterly basis. They outline call volume, overtime, training they've attended, goals and other monthly tasks.
One of their six-month goals is to work more with Charlotte and Lee County operators.
"We send the operators to crisis intervention and other training that's offered to police officers," said Capt. Kevin Vespia, who plans on buying all of the dispatchers lunch or dinner this week to thank them for their dedication to the department.
Vespia said North Port has a solid group of veteran operators who remain calm during some of the most chaotic situations.
"They have been there for so long, they just know how to react," he said.
E-mail: eallen@sun-herald.com
BY ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH
North Port Community News Editor
This week is Public Safety Telecommunications Week, so, be sure to thank your local 9-1-1 dispatchers and call takers! Obviously don't call 9-1-1 and thank them. Use the non-emergency number:o) And if they are congenial feel free to ask them to send a recipe!!!! PeggyLee@DeniseAmberLee.org
Thank you.
And special thanks to call takers and dispatchers everywhere who do their best and utmost to help save lives. God bless you.
Call for Life
As 911 operators are commended this week, recent tragic events point to training as key
When Jennifer Johnson called 911 last November, frantically explaining that her ex-boyfriend had kidnapped and locked her in the trunk of a car, the Plant City operator never asked her name. In the 73 seconds the two were on the phone, the dispatcher only asked her location.
Johnson's body was found several days later. The 911 dispatcher, Amanda Hill, was fired, and the dispatch supervisor, a captain and sergeant all resigned.
According to a 700-page investigation, Hill didn't dispatch an officer to try to help Johnson, 31.
These type of mishaps require members of the local Denise Amber Lee Foundation to work year-round on raising awareness of 911 call center inefficiencies, promoting improvements to 911 call centers, and offering assistance to families of murder victims.
April 13-18 is designated as Public Safety Telecommunications Week, recognizing the daily service of 911 operators who help save lives. However, it comes shortly after another highly publicized 911 operator-related tragedy.
On April 4, an Allegheny County, Pa., 911 operator failed to alert officers there were weapons in a home where a mother and son were fighting. Moments after arriving, three officers were killed when a 22-year-old ex-Marine opened fire on them.
"You hate for this to happen," said Plant City Police Chief Bill McDaniel. "I've always said the telecommunications operator is the toughest job in law enforcement. They have to deal with the heightened tension of every situation. They must multitask, balance calls, provide important information, keep the caller calm by asking the right questions and usually have a person standing behind them."
McDaniel said some of his employees mishandled the 911 call, gave out misinformation and didn't follow standard policies.
"We acknowledge our mistakes and hope other agencies learn from them," he said, adding operators have 16 weeks of training.
McDaniel appreciates the efforts of the Denise Amber Lee Foundation in lobbying for universal 911 operator training throughout the United States. Fourteen years ago, he researched the benefits of universal training for 911 operators. He also patterned his 911 operations center after a statewide program in Oregon.
In Lee's case, she was kidnapped last year from her North Port home. As Lee, 21, struggled for her life, she, along with three others, called 911. During a manhunt for Lee, witness Jane Kowalski called a 911 Charlotte County Sheriff's operator and stayed on the line for nine minutes, providing locations where a suspicious man was driving. However, no deputy was dispatched to investigate the driver, who was later identified as the suspect in Lee's murder.
Most states have no standards for 911 telecommunications training. Every law enforcement agency establishes its own.
In North Port, 911 dispatchers handled 77,394 calls in 2008. This year, they have received 21,965 calls so far.
The city is currently two positions short of the budgeted 12 telecommunication operators.
"Our standards are much greater than any mandatory training," said North Port Police Sgt. Scott Graham. "It's necessary for our operators to be competent in every aspect of the job."
The city's telecommunications shift supervisors, Cindy Martin and Misty Elmore, prepare presentations to administrators on a quarterly basis. They outline call volume, overtime, training they've attended, goals and other monthly tasks.
One of their six-month goals is to work more with Charlotte and Lee County operators.
"We send the operators to crisis intervention and other training that's offered to police officers," said Capt. Kevin Vespia, who plans on buying all of the dispatchers lunch or dinner this week to thank them for their dedication to the department.
Vespia said North Port has a solid group of veteran operators who remain calm during some of the most chaotic situations.
"They have been there for so long, they just know how to react," he said.
E-mail: eallen@sun-herald.com
BY ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH
North Port Community News Editor
Monday, April 6, 2009
Jennifer Johnson You're Saving Lives
My opinion then article to follow. And this is just my opinion. I hate to see anyone in this terrible economy lose their jobs but! In this case I have to agree with it. How sad and tragic for all involved in this debacle. But the Johnson family has lost so much more then their jobs. They lost a precious loved one. Their lives are shattered forever. Did the dispatcher and supervisors kill her? No. But just as in Charlotte County, what they did and didn't do directly led to her death.
God bless the Jennifer Johnson family always with as much peace and love as they can handle. May it comfort you to know that eyes are being opened throughout the state of Florida and lives are being saved by Jennifer.
9-1-1 will change in Florida and hopefully sooner rather than later.
God bless the Plant City Police Department for stepping up and doing the right thing by recognizing a critical problem and doing something about it.
Also, God bless all call takers and dispatchers with strength, diligence, common sense and compassion. It's impossible as in this and the Olidia Kerr Day case for victims who are about to be murdered to not get hysterical. It only makes Denise's call seem all that more miraculous. How did she retain her wits and smarts?
God I miss Denise.
Plant City police chief: One fired, three quit in wake of 911 murder case
PLANT CITY -- Under fire about how Plant City police handled a woman's last cry for help before she was found murdered, Chief Bill McDaniel said Monday one person has been fired, two others have resigned, and a fourth retired as a result of an internal investigation of the matter.
At a news conference today, McDaniel said Amanda Hill, a dispatcher since 2006, was fired Friday.
The two supervisors she told about the call she took from Jennifer Johnson, a cry for help from the trunk of a car, have left the force. Rita Liphman, a 20-year veteran with Plant City, resigned Friday. And Sgt. James Watkins retired effective Friday after 21 years with the department, he said.
And Capt. Darrell Wilson resigned Friday after 16 years with the department.
This was not a failure of policy, McDaniel said. All the policies for dealing with cell phones were in place and Wilson was wrong last week when he said they had no regulations for dealing with disconnected cell phone emergency calls.
"It's a failure, an absolute breakdown,'' McDaniel said. But "this is a breakdown of human beings. People failed to do the things they should have done.''
Jennifer Johnson, 31, was found murdered in an abandoned home in Lakeland on Nov. 18, three days after she dialed 911 from the trunk of her car, pleading for help.
Dispatcher Amanda Hill told a Tampa police investigator on Nov. 20 that after she got the call, she alerted two supervisors but neither listened to the tape and no officers were dispatched.
After Johnson's cellular call dropped, Hill didn't attempt to call her back.
Deputies say Johnson's ex-boyfriend, Vincent Brown, abducted Johnson and then killed her. Brown is being held without bail at Falkenburg Road Jail on first degree murder and kidnapping charges.
'It was clearly established where Johnson was, but she failed to go further and ask other questions,'' such as the identity of those involved, the type of car, he said.
And Hill said she thought policy was not to call the phone number back to protect the safety of the person who called, but that is not the policy, McDaniel said.
The Plant City Police Department has the full capability to get a certain amount of information from people who call 911 from cell phones, and the kind she had gave them the cell tower the signal went to and the phone number, he said. A more advanced cell phone would have also given latitude and longitude.
If Hill had properly followed protocol, she would have asked more questions, called Johnson back, contacted the cell provider and dispatched someone to find her, he said.
"I'm unable to explain why inaccurate information came from the captain,'' he said of Wilson. "If all the right steps had been followed, the potential for a different outcome is absolutely there.''
"There is not a policy change. The policy in place at the time was effective, and had it been followed ... ''the outcome might have been different."
Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer
God bless the Jennifer Johnson family always with as much peace and love as they can handle. May it comfort you to know that eyes are being opened throughout the state of Florida and lives are being saved by Jennifer.
9-1-1 will change in Florida and hopefully sooner rather than later.
God bless the Plant City Police Department for stepping up and doing the right thing by recognizing a critical problem and doing something about it.
Also, God bless all call takers and dispatchers with strength, diligence, common sense and compassion. It's impossible as in this and the Olidia Kerr Day case for victims who are about to be murdered to not get hysterical. It only makes Denise's call seem all that more miraculous. How did she retain her wits and smarts?
God I miss Denise.
Plant City police chief: One fired, three quit in wake of 911 murder case
PLANT CITY -- Under fire about how Plant City police handled a woman's last cry for help before she was found murdered, Chief Bill McDaniel said Monday one person has been fired, two others have resigned, and a fourth retired as a result of an internal investigation of the matter.
At a news conference today, McDaniel said Amanda Hill, a dispatcher since 2006, was fired Friday.
The two supervisors she told about the call she took from Jennifer Johnson, a cry for help from the trunk of a car, have left the force. Rita Liphman, a 20-year veteran with Plant City, resigned Friday. And Sgt. James Watkins retired effective Friday after 21 years with the department, he said.
And Capt. Darrell Wilson resigned Friday after 16 years with the department.
This was not a failure of policy, McDaniel said. All the policies for dealing with cell phones were in place and Wilson was wrong last week when he said they had no regulations for dealing with disconnected cell phone emergency calls.
"It's a failure, an absolute breakdown,'' McDaniel said. But "this is a breakdown of human beings. People failed to do the things they should have done.''
Jennifer Johnson, 31, was found murdered in an abandoned home in Lakeland on Nov. 18, three days after she dialed 911 from the trunk of her car, pleading for help.
Dispatcher Amanda Hill told a Tampa police investigator on Nov. 20 that after she got the call, she alerted two supervisors but neither listened to the tape and no officers were dispatched.
After Johnson's cellular call dropped, Hill didn't attempt to call her back.
Deputies say Johnson's ex-boyfriend, Vincent Brown, abducted Johnson and then killed her. Brown is being held without bail at Falkenburg Road Jail on first degree murder and kidnapping charges.
'It was clearly established where Johnson was, but she failed to go further and ask other questions,'' such as the identity of those involved, the type of car, he said.
And Hill said she thought policy was not to call the phone number back to protect the safety of the person who called, but that is not the policy, McDaniel said.
The Plant City Police Department has the full capability to get a certain amount of information from people who call 911 from cell phones, and the kind she had gave them the cell tower the signal went to and the phone number, he said. A more advanced cell phone would have also given latitude and longitude.
If Hill had properly followed protocol, she would have asked more questions, called Johnson back, contacted the cell provider and dispatched someone to find her, he said.
"I'm unable to explain why inaccurate information came from the captain,'' he said of Wilson. "If all the right steps had been followed, the potential for a different outcome is absolutely there.''
"There is not a policy change. The policy in place at the time was effective, and had it been followed ... ''the outcome might have been different."
Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Channel 10 news
It takes a few minutes for the video to load on the right hand side.
http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103347&catid=8
http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103347&catid=8
Last night News Channel 8, Jennifer Johnson and Denise Amber Lee
Sorry, I still don't know how to embed a video story. There were actually two stories last night on the news. Channel 10 www.10connects.com and News Channel 8.
Here's channel 8's story:
http://www2.tbo.com/video/2009/apr/01/victims-husband-perusing-legislation--47652/#comment
Here's channel 8's story:
http://www2.tbo.com/video/2009/apr/01/victims-husband-perusing-legislation--47652/#comment
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Florida, 9-1-1, Jennifer Johnson, The Tampa Tribune
I just don't have words to describe my thoughts on yet another heart breaking story and of course, it's Florida. I hear the Senate is going to pass the bill! Thank goodness something positive is happening. 9-1-1 will get better!
God bless the Johnson family with peace and love. I imagine their hurt and anger are on par with our family's and Olidia Kerr Day's family. Please keep them in your prayers.
Dispatcher: Police Didn't Respond To 911 Call From Trunk
According to documents, Jennifer Johnson was suffocated by two plastic bags tied over her head: a garbage bag and a plastic bag from Party City, where she had purchased supplies for her daughter Je'Neiyce's birthday party.
By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 1, 2009
Updated: 06:50 pm
Related Links
Police Say Record Was Wrong
Listen To The 911 Call
Hear Brown's Voicemail
Family, Friends Mourn Loss Of 'Hopeless Romantic'
Photo Gallery
Jennifer Johnson had about a minute to talk before a 911 operator in Plant City lost a connection with her.
"Ma'am, I'm in a trunk right now," the 31-year-old Tampa mother yelled on a copy of the call released today. "They got me in the trunk. … I don't know where I'm at."
Soon after the call disconnected, she was dead.
Prosecutors released the call along with 700 pages of discovery material that outlines the kidnapping and first-degree murder case against Vincent George Brown Jr., Johnson's on-again, off-again boyfriend and the father of her daughter, Je'Neiyce.
The material also contains a report that Plant City police corroborated today showing they never sent an officer to try to find Johnson.
This contradicts dispatch logs the department provided to News Channel 8 in December. At that time, the agency said the logs showed an officer had been sent to search a four-mile stretch of Interstate 4 in Thonotosassa, where a cell-phone tower had picked up Johnson's call.
Plant City police Capt. Darrell Wilson said today that an administrative review found that officer was working an unrelated security check in the area.
"There was never an officer dispatched," Wilson said. "That call log was for something different."
Police Chief Bill McDaniel's office said he was unavailable for comment today.
'I Guess We Shouldn't Have Assumed'
A Plant City communications operator recorded a 911 call with Johnson at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 15 that lasted about 1 minute 20 seconds. The conversation was so brief that Johnson did not provide a description of her car and could not say where she had been kidnapped, the documents say.
The operator had trouble hearing Johnson over loud music in the background. In addition, her cell phone number and wireless provider did not register when the call came in, making it difficult to map, Wilson and the discovery documents say.
The operator told her immediate supervisor and a patrol supervisor about the call after it disconnected, but neither listened to the call nor took any action, a report in the discovery documents says.
The log police provided in December showed an officer was dispatched at 5:38 a.m. that day along the interstate.
Today, Wilson said the department thought that officer had been sent to search for Johnson because of the agency's policy to send an officer to the last-known location of a disconnected 911 call.
"I guess we shouldn't have assumed," he said.
Johnson's phone did not have global-positioning system technology to help police pinpoint where she was. Her trunk did not have an internal release.
Activist Seeks 911 Reform
All cell phones should have GPS technology, said Nathan Lee, the president of a foundation named after his wife Denise Amber Lee.
"I got a GPS that can tell me where I'm going on the interstate," Nathan Lee said. "But we can't track down a cell phone? That's unbelievable."
Denise Amber Lee, 21, was abducted from her North Port home on Jan. 17, 2008. The daughter of a Charlotte County sheriff's sergeant, her disappearance touched off of a massive search by multiple agencies that ultimately failed to save her, but communications mistakes made on the night of her murder have spawned a broader movement to change the way emergency calls are handled in Florida and across the nation.
Nathan Lee is leading a push to ensure 911 dispatchers in Florida follow uniform regulations in handling emergency calls. Every agency's protocol is different, and dispatchers throughout the state have varying levels of training, Lee said.
A disparity in technology between 911 call centers is also an issue, he said. "The technology is there. Counties just can't get funding for it."
Although Johnson's signal couldn't be pinpointed, Lee said he finds it "very disturbing" that police said they sent units to find her when they really didn't.
Uniform standards for dispatchers—and technology—may have saved Johnson and his wife, Lee said.
"The foundation is going to get in touch with the Johnsons and offer our condolences," he said. "We want to let them know that progress is being made."
Johnson's family found her appeal for help heart-wrenching.
"It's devastating for me to hear," Rachel Johnson, the slain woman's sister, said of the 911 call. "She was reaching out for help, but no one was there to help her. I think about it every day, and there's nothing I can do."
Only Chance To Cry For Help
Johnson's aunt, Levery White, said even if the police were unable to find her, they should have tried.
"They didn't even send nobody. They didn't care," she said.
Relatives reported Johnson missing the evening of Nov. 15 after she did not show up for her daughter's birthday party.
Tampa police tracked her cell-phone activity through the phone company and on the morning of Nov. 18 discovered the 911 call had hit on a cell-phone tower at Interstate 4 and Thonotosassa Road.
Tampa police think the 911 call was the only opportunity Johnson had to communicate with authorities.
Johnson was found dead the evening of Nov. 18 in the garage of a vacant house in Lakeland, just south of Interstate 4 at the Kathleen Road exit. Her cell phone was tucked in her bra.
Phone records indicate that from about 8:15 a.m. Nov. 15 until the phone ran out of power, its signal pinged off a cell tower near the house where her body was found. She made no other calls.
Brown, 39, is accused of killing Johnson on Nov. 15, Je'Neiyce's 2nd birthday. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said detectives are investigating whether someone helped Brown. "There could be more arrests in the case," she said today.
Tribune reporter Ray Reyes and News Channel 8 reporters Krista Klaus and Samara Sodos contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800
God bless the Johnson family with peace and love. I imagine their hurt and anger are on par with our family's and Olidia Kerr Day's family. Please keep them in your prayers.
Dispatcher: Police Didn't Respond To 911 Call From Trunk
According to documents, Jennifer Johnson was suffocated by two plastic bags tied over her head: a garbage bag and a plastic bag from Party City, where she had purchased supplies for her daughter Je'Neiyce's birthday party.
By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 1, 2009
Updated: 06:50 pm
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Jennifer Johnson had about a minute to talk before a 911 operator in Plant City lost a connection with her.
"Ma'am, I'm in a trunk right now," the 31-year-old Tampa mother yelled on a copy of the call released today. "They got me in the trunk. … I don't know where I'm at."
Soon after the call disconnected, she was dead.
Prosecutors released the call along with 700 pages of discovery material that outlines the kidnapping and first-degree murder case against Vincent George Brown Jr., Johnson's on-again, off-again boyfriend and the father of her daughter, Je'Neiyce.
The material also contains a report that Plant City police corroborated today showing they never sent an officer to try to find Johnson.
This contradicts dispatch logs the department provided to News Channel 8 in December. At that time, the agency said the logs showed an officer had been sent to search a four-mile stretch of Interstate 4 in Thonotosassa, where a cell-phone tower had picked up Johnson's call.
Plant City police Capt. Darrell Wilson said today that an administrative review found that officer was working an unrelated security check in the area.
"There was never an officer dispatched," Wilson said. "That call log was for something different."
Police Chief Bill McDaniel's office said he was unavailable for comment today.
'I Guess We Shouldn't Have Assumed'
A Plant City communications operator recorded a 911 call with Johnson at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 15 that lasted about 1 minute 20 seconds. The conversation was so brief that Johnson did not provide a description of her car and could not say where she had been kidnapped, the documents say.
The operator had trouble hearing Johnson over loud music in the background. In addition, her cell phone number and wireless provider did not register when the call came in, making it difficult to map, Wilson and the discovery documents say.
The operator told her immediate supervisor and a patrol supervisor about the call after it disconnected, but neither listened to the call nor took any action, a report in the discovery documents says.
The log police provided in December showed an officer was dispatched at 5:38 a.m. that day along the interstate.
Today, Wilson said the department thought that officer had been sent to search for Johnson because of the agency's policy to send an officer to the last-known location of a disconnected 911 call.
"I guess we shouldn't have assumed," he said.
Johnson's phone did not have global-positioning system technology to help police pinpoint where she was. Her trunk did not have an internal release.
Activist Seeks 911 Reform
All cell phones should have GPS technology, said Nathan Lee, the president of a foundation named after his wife Denise Amber Lee.
"I got a GPS that can tell me where I'm going on the interstate," Nathan Lee said. "But we can't track down a cell phone? That's unbelievable."
Denise Amber Lee, 21, was abducted from her North Port home on Jan. 17, 2008. The daughter of a Charlotte County sheriff's sergeant, her disappearance touched off of a massive search by multiple agencies that ultimately failed to save her, but communications mistakes made on the night of her murder have spawned a broader movement to change the way emergency calls are handled in Florida and across the nation.
Nathan Lee is leading a push to ensure 911 dispatchers in Florida follow uniform regulations in handling emergency calls. Every agency's protocol is different, and dispatchers throughout the state have varying levels of training, Lee said.
A disparity in technology between 911 call centers is also an issue, he said. "The technology is there. Counties just can't get funding for it."
Although Johnson's signal couldn't be pinpointed, Lee said he finds it "very disturbing" that police said they sent units to find her when they really didn't.
Uniform standards for dispatchers—and technology—may have saved Johnson and his wife, Lee said.
"The foundation is going to get in touch with the Johnsons and offer our condolences," he said. "We want to let them know that progress is being made."
Johnson's family found her appeal for help heart-wrenching.
"It's devastating for me to hear," Rachel Johnson, the slain woman's sister, said of the 911 call. "She was reaching out for help, but no one was there to help her. I think about it every day, and there's nothing I can do."
Only Chance To Cry For Help
Johnson's aunt, Levery White, said even if the police were unable to find her, they should have tried.
"They didn't even send nobody. They didn't care," she said.
Relatives reported Johnson missing the evening of Nov. 15 after she did not show up for her daughter's birthday party.
Tampa police tracked her cell-phone activity through the phone company and on the morning of Nov. 18 discovered the 911 call had hit on a cell-phone tower at Interstate 4 and Thonotosassa Road.
Tampa police think the 911 call was the only opportunity Johnson had to communicate with authorities.
Johnson was found dead the evening of Nov. 18 in the garage of a vacant house in Lakeland, just south of Interstate 4 at the Kathleen Road exit. Her cell phone was tucked in her bra.
Phone records indicate that from about 8:15 a.m. Nov. 15 until the phone ran out of power, its signal pinged off a cell tower near the house where her body was found. She made no other calls.
Brown, 39, is accused of killing Johnson on Nov. 15, Je'Neiyce's 2nd birthday. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said detectives are investigating whether someone helped Brown. "There could be more arrests in the case," she said today.
Tribune reporter Ray Reyes and News Channel 8 reporters Krista Klaus and Samara Sodos contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800
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