5 Horrifying Tales Of 911 Incompetence
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We all laugh when some nutjob calls 911 because McDonald's ran out of McNuggets. But the world is full of crazy people, they all own phones and 911 is the one number they all know. We shouldn't be surprised. No, the horror stories happen when regular folk in an emergency call 911 and find the craziness happening at the other end of the line. For instance. . . #5.
Nashville Operator Doesn't Give a Shit
People have been known to call 911 for some pretty stupid reasons: keys locked in the car, slow traffic, loud fireworks, knife wielding ex-boyfriends breaking in the house threatening to kill them. Whoa! That last one doesn't seem to fit the description at all! But when Sheila Jones called 911 in Nashville to report that very thing, the response she received was akin to what one might expect if calling an emergency line to report an ingrown toenail. After her first call went unanswered, Jones called back and got fantastic news. Officers had been dispatched, but another more important call came in, so they answered that first.
What could be more important than a potential stabbing? A traffic stop, of course! A traffic stop that, in the interest of maintaining our faith in humanity, we will assume was of the GTA IV variety, involving multiple gunshots and at least one person that had burst into flames. But the shenanigans don't stop there. Jones made a third call after more than two freaking hours had passed with no sign of help. After the call ended--but with tape still rolling--we hear the last damned thing you want to hear when you call 911..."I really just don't give a shit what happens to you."
So, What Happened? Fortunately, Jones's boyfriend never did get around to actually killing her, presumably because even he started feeling sorry for her after the police failed to show. She did eventually get police to respond to her call, but only after contacting the fucking mayor's office. When a local news affiliate got wind of the story, they investigated and uncovered the not a shit giving 911 operator's antics. He was immediately fired. At least we hope it was immediate, but don't count on it. #4.
Memphis 911 Operator Falls Asleep on the Job
As anyone who has ever worked a customer service gig can attest, the general public is, for the most part, pretty damn boring. Sure, you get calls from the occasional basket case who threatens to end your shit with a chainsaw unless you reverse that $5 late fee, but mostly it's just mundane questions about things you don't care about. You would think this would not be the case for, say, a 911 operator. The constant stream of calls about gunshots, robberies and out of control chimpanzee attacks would be enough to keep anyone on their toes, right?
Apparently, it is not, as evidenced by a Memphis woman's experience when she called 911 to report that someone was tapping on her window: Things begin with the woman explaining her situation to the 911 operator. The above news report then devolves into what looks like an infomercial for shitty emergency responder service. If you call today, we'll ignore your plea for help for 15 full seconds, responding only with dead silence!
But we're not stopping there! Act right away, and we won't just double it...
Nope! If you call 911 today, we'll pass right the Hell out for one full minute!
If you listen close, you can actually hear dude snoring on the phone. He eventually wakes up and gets down to business by asking for the woman's address. The address she had already given him before he passed out. So, What Happened? After months of badgering by a Memphis reporter, an investigation into the call was finally launched. The operator on duty was suspended for seven days. That oughta show him! His supervisor was suspended for 20 days, because when you fall asleep at your job, it's totally your boss's fault. As for the caller, she eventually got help, and we quote, "when she called another 911 agency." What? Like who, the A-Team? Spencer for Hire? Seriously, we're asking. #3.
Michigan 911 Operator Does Not Take Kindly to F-Bombs
People react to stress in various ways. Some people overeat, some people get throw-up drunk and some people curse like sailors when their 911 calls aren't answered in a timely manner. Understandable reactions, all of them, but be advised, depending on who answers your distress call, dropping the occasional f-bomb could have unintended consequences. Adrianne Ledesma of Lincoln Park, Michigan learned this lesson the hard way. We're not quite sure where Lincoln Park is, but as this news story detailing her encounter with an easily offended 911 operator points out, residents there make over 14,000 911 calls each year. Based on those numbers, we're going to take a wild guess and say it's somewhere near Detroit.
In light of that, it's no surprise that when Adrianne Ledesma called 911, it took a few rings before someone was able to answer. After calling once and getting no answer, she hung up and called again. This time, it once again rang several times before anyone answered. Understandably frustrated, Ledesma blurted out "what the fuck?!" as the phone was ringing. Because 911 calls begin recording before they are even answered, somehow, the operator on the other end heard the foul language. When Ledesma advised that she needed an ambulance and gave her address, the operator got right to the important business at hand: scolding the girl for cursing.
The teen responded to this ill-timed lecture the same way most any of us would.
Having apparently never been subjected to such unseemly behavior in his life, the 20-year veteran of the Lincoln Park Police Department on the other end of the call got things back on a more professional course by hanging up on the caller. We're not emergency response professionals, but we maybe would have asked what the problem was before disconnecting the call. In case you're curious, the girl's father was on the floor having a seizure. But the fun didn't stop there. After the teen called back, the officer continued on the moral highroad by asking if she was going to swear again before adding a nice pot-calling-the-kettle-black moment when he called her "a stupid ass."
Again, so taken back at the thought of a frantic teen having the audacity to curse, the officer still didn't ask what she was calling about and disconnected the call. This display of pointless bickering even continued through a third call in which the officer called her "a buffoon." It should go without saying that she was hung up on that time also. So, What Happened? There's good news and there is bad news. On the bright side, Officer Friendly finally did put in the call for help, although he was still unable to tell them exactly what they were being dispatched for. In keeping with his FCC like devotion to family friendly emergencies, he made sure to bring up the cursing when putting in the call.
Also, the father lived. As for the bad news, after her trifecta of failed attempts at summoning help for her ailing father, Adrianne Ledesma drove to the police station. Naturally, she was especially irate by this point. Because his douchebag meter goes well past 11, the officer she had been talking to came out and asked if she was the foul-mouthed girl he had been speaking to. When she acknowledged that she was, he immediately arrested her and charged her with "abusing 911," a charge that, according to the news story, doesn't actually exist. The officer got off with a two-week unpaid suspension and "training." To whomever is in charge of his training, yeah, good luck with that. |
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actually that last one wasn't so bad. just some woman bitching cause she can't handle her kid. totally justified humor.
yea number one shoulda been like 5... a 12 year old? i prolly woulda been a jackass too.
in fact, id be like o, ok, ill send my 15 year old over.
i think a woman screaming from being beaten, then hung up on by 911, is definitely worse
#3 should have been #1. That officer was a d******d.
Hahaha oh man @ #5. I live in Nashville, TN and remember that story all too well. I never felt so embarrassed for Metro Police after that story leaked to the press.
However, this article failed to mention one particular detail. That rude operator actually never got hired in the first place. He was only a trainee who got cut because he didn't fit Metro's qualities for a competent officer (heh), but those reasons were, believe it or not, completely unrelated to that call. Metro had no idea about what the trainee did until months later, though they admitted he would've been fired on the spot after finding out about the BS he stated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64IQlDnaRLA
thats some straight up BULLSHIT
"6 and 2 were completly crazy! but the f**k were those guys even thinking?"
- Aakash19 3/22/2009 12:54:37 PM
6?
To the 911 dispatchers who commented a while back:
Get different jobs.
tarataqa, she didn't call a business or a church she called 911 who is specifically trained to deal with people losing their s**t not hand out lectures. She frequently says I NEED an ambulance the officer chooses to ignore that and continuing telling her not to swear in a life and death situation. He should be asking her what's wrong not telling her not to swear that's unprofessional and could have been fatal.
Is the mom from number 1 a dumbass? Seriously? What the hell do you expect the cops to do, take your daughter into custody? Spank her? Scold her and tell the tween, "Leave your mommy alone?" Honestly, some people are so damn stupid. Bravo 911 operator, bravo.
The way we hire and train cops is the reason incidence like this happen..
It's knuckle draggers like this clown and the tough guy culture their bred from that cause the citizenry to lose faith in the very institution thats mandated to look out for their safety.. As opposed to taking every opportunity to bully and intimidate. Great bunch of guys, Cops.
Remember "Dim" from "A clockwork orange"? Thats the type of guys we seem hire to be cops these days, generally speaking, when what we need is more "Joe friday types".. Just the facts, ma'am...
I found this information, about that loser 911 loser (I can't say that word enough in regards to him):
http://www.wisn.com/news/17977354/detail.html
Unfortunately, the one thing I 'might' believe out of his loser claims:
He 'heard' that the woman refused to press charges against the abuser.
Beware the Phantom Time Traveler! He goes back in time and changes the past. It's his hobby. Warn your friends and family about the Phantom Time Traveler! His actions are constantly changing your life and mine. History cannot be left in the hands of an individual! What has already been done is not meant to be undone. Petition the government! Let them know about the danger he poses. If we can convince the government of the problem, they may be able to build a machine that can detect ripples caused by time travel. Then, the next time he comes back from the past or future, we can catch him! BEWARE THE PHANTOM TIME TRAVELER! Your life could be completely ruined in the past, and you won't even know it! You might have been rich, but after the Phantom Time Traveler changed something, you're not, and don't remember it! You might lose your memories of today as well! A wise man once said "Do not squander time. That is the stuff life is made of." Surely, destroying the precious lives of others by changing their pasts of the worst thing someone could do. The Phantom Time Traveler is perpetrating an atrocity far worse than any that has come before. It is a crime against all humanity, against all life, everywhere!
COPY and PASTE this warning to AT LEAST FIVE STORIES, or the Phantom Time Traveler will have sex with your mom in the past and become your dad!
When the girl first swore, she was obviously not swearing at anyone in particular, but at the situation, so the office had no right be be offended by it, especially when people call in high stress situations. Secondly, the guy is the biggest f*****g a*****e; where the f**k does he get off basically parenting this girl instead of dealing with the actual problem at hand, namely, the health and well being of another human being.
And then he gets foul mouthed right back at her! Unbelievable!
And then arrests her under false charges? WTF man?
I am not a fan of the American culture of suing for every offense, however, I totally support this family in such an action against this particular officer.
#5: Not cool man, not cool.
#4: Give the dude some credit, it's late at night, he's probably been answering annoying ass calls for 12+ hours, he's exhausted, maybe his body just couldn't take it anymore and shut down. Get off the guy's back. It's not like you've never been tired at work before.
#3: Ok, I'll be reasonable, you shouldn't swear at people. It's just rude. But this is a 911 call and her Dad is having a friggin' seizure, jackass. That's reason enough to panic, and when people panic, they get a little crazy, it happens. There are volumes of psychology books about it. Is it really so odd that she would curse while she's scared? Get the man some help, stupid s**t.
#2: I have no comments, it's to weird.
#1: HAHAHHAHA XD! I laughed my ass of at this! I say good for you officer! 'Bout time you fought back against those stupid fucks who call 911 for nothing! Shoot the little f****r! That'll teach her and her dumb ass mom!
There are stupid 911 calls made 24/7. I know it and you know it. "I'm stuck in normal traffic--quick call 911"
Sgt. Robert McFarland should be reminded to not hang up on people until he's discovered if it's a prank call or not. But that's the only punishment required.
I mean I drop f-bombs frequently enough, BUT I dare everyone reading this to call any business, church, hospital, government agency, etc. and use f-bombs in EACH SENTENCE like the 17yr old girl did and see what kind of response you get.
If my dad is hurt and I frantically call 911 for an ambulance and they tell me to phrase my words in pig latin--that is what I'll do to get the help I need! You can tell she was trash when all she cared about was suing the guy instead of saying "That's not important--I NEED an ambulance at ... address now!" Instead she argues. What a loser. A loser with another frivolous lawsuit of course!
Sgt. Robert McFarland is directly reponsible for any brain injury suffered by the stroke patient he refused to help. Perhaps if he has to spend part or all of his salary for the next fifty years to help heal or care for an innocent person he was charged to protect, then he and others like him will learn to take the chips off their shoulders, serve the public good, or get the heck out of public service.
...people can be idiots...REAL idiots...
For the record, I think I found an article about the dispatcher from #2; http://www.wisn.com/news/17983812/detail.html
The guy got fired, so at least we know there is some bright side.... but he thinks the 'ignoring a woman's pleas for help' was just a cover up; and the real reason he's out of a job, is because he complained about dirt....yea.....
holy s**t! the one about the woman being beaten gave me chills! thank God the emergency number here is answered by real policemen, they're really helpful. can't imagine how some people could be this cruel.
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Number two was really horrible, I looked up the story and the operator said she admitted to being the one that hung up. I'm not really sure how that works since she never got his name or phone number.