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Thursday, August 14, 2008
Gwinnett 911
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The female caller saw a man attack a woman.
So she dialed 911 on her cell phone.
“Gwinnett County, 911,” answered Susan Gifford, a supervisor who took the call. “Do you have an emergency?”
“Yes mam,” the caller said. “I was driving down Northbrook Parkway near Jimmy County Boulevard. There is a guy and a lady at the bus stop and he was punching her in the face. When I was driving by, he punched her twice.”
Gifford asked pertinent details. She verified the street (Brook Hollow Parkway, not Northbrook Parkway) possible landmarks (a Hindu temple); the caller’s name and cell phone number; what the man was wearing; whether he had a weapon or not.
“I didn’t see any weapon in his hand,” the caller said.
Gifford entered the information into the computer, then patched it over to the dispatch desk before she even completed the call. Within minutes, two patrol cars were dispatched to the scene.
On Wednesday, the Badie Tour spent a couple of hours in the county’s 911 center. I wanted to observe the action, given the recent tragic mishap in North Fulton that has been reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Darlene Dukes of Johns Creek died Aug. 2 from a blood clot in her lung. Gina Conteh, a 911 dispatcher, sent help to southwest Atlanta rather than north Fulton. It took 25 minutes before another dispatcher realized emergency crews were looking in the wrong place. It took another 20 minutes before Fulton officials realized they had dispatched fire and police, but not an ambulance.
Everybody makes mistakes, but being involved in one that claims a life is pretty severe. So heads have rolled. Alfred “Rocky” Moore, the 911 center director, has been reassigned. Conteh of Lilburn has been fired.
My question is: What took so long?
Conteh’s personnel file, obtained by the AJC through the Georgia Open Records Law, is rife with incidents. It shows at least seven suspensions for everything from fighting with co-workers to sleeping - sleeping, mind you - while on duty.
Let’s hope some good comes out of Dukes’ death. Maybe our neighboring county will build a better 911 operation. Maybe everybody’s truly alert and aware of the impact communications has on the safety of citizens, firefighters, cops and paramedics.
“A call-taker gets information to assist the [responding officers and emergency personnel],” Gifford told me between calls. “With dispatchers, your focus stays on officer safety. You keep up with where they are; where each unit is; what they are doing. You work to serve the citizens, but officer safety is paramount.”
I spent an hour or so with Gifford, listening to calls and watching her direct them. The technology is amazing. Say someone calls in on a cell phone and can’t give their location. The Gwinnett 911 center has a software system that - by using cell tower locations or the cell phone’s global positioning chip - can pinpoint the origin of the call, or at least get first responders within its vicinity.
Before I leave, another interesting call comes in. A school bus driver says a man, carrying a bag of groceries, is walking in the middle of the road in the Grayson area.
“He looks drunk,” she told Gifford.
“We appreciate your calling,” Gifford said. “We’ll get someone there.”
Rick Badie updates his blog daily. Readers who want to discuss the people, places, events and topics he writes about may post comments online or contact Badie directly. He can be reached at 770-263-3875 or via e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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