Sunday, February 27, 2011

RESPONSE TIMES


Activists in Austin Neighborhood Fight to Get Police 911 Response Times: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

Activists in Austin Neighborhood Fight to Get Police 911 Response Times

Better Government Association joint investigation

By Dane Placko, FOX Chicago News


Chicago - When you call 911, you hope the police will respond in a matter of minutes.
But some residents of Chicago's West Side Austin neighborhood just hope they'll see a police car at all.
Ron and Serethea Reid have become so alarmed by slow and non-existent 911 response, they've formed a community organization to make their voices heard. They said if it's a shooting or major emergency, the police will get there-- sometimes quite quickly. But it's a different story, they said, for quality of life issues like drug sales, public drinking and fights.
"There's been far too many instances where there's been no response at all," said Serethea Reid.
Ald. Deborah Graham (29th), whose office is in the Austin police district, said even she had to wait when she called 911 because an upset young man was in the office.
The police department took their time coming, at least it felt that way," Graham said.
Since sounding the alarm last summer, the Central Austin Neighborhood Association has met several times with high ranking police officials and Chicago's Office of Emergency Management (OEMC). But when they ask for specific information about 911 response times in their neighborhood, they're told again and again they can't have those numbers because the city doesn't want the bad guys to know where response is slow.
"If we start making public response times, we're creating a situation that could be an advantage to someone other than these good citizens," said OEMC Deputy Director Clarence Thomas.
We got the same answer when we tried digging into last summer's fatal shooting of nine-year-old Tanaja Stokes. She and her seven-year-old cousin were jumping rope in the Roseland neighborhood when a crowd of gangbangers began shouting at one another. A neighbor who does not want to be identified called 911, but said it took police more than 15 minutes to respond. By then, Tanaja had been caught in gang crossfire.
"If (the police) would've come when I called... those boys would have seen the police and they probably would have kept going," said the neighbor.
We wanted to know whether that call got the same attention as other 911 calls throughout the city. But the OEMC has refused all our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for 911 response times for each police district.
"This is a work in progress, and it's a work in progress in partnership with the citizens of the community," Chicago Police Commander Jim Roussel said. "So all the questions that are being raised are great questions and we need to have honest, forthright conversations about it."

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

REAL 911 CALLS

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency? Caller: I heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the brown house on the corner. Dispatcher: Do you have an address? Caller: No, I have on a blouse and slacks, why?
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency? Caller: Someone broke into my house and took a bite out of my ham and cheese sandwich . Dispatcher: Excuse me? Caller: I made a ham and cheese sandwich and left it on the kitchen table and when I came back from the bathroom, someone had taken a bite out of it. Dispatcher: Was anything else taken? Caller: No, but this has happened to me before and I’m sick and tired of it!

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is the nature of your emergency? Caller: I’m trying to reach nine eleven but my phone doesn’t have an eleven on it. Dispatcher: This is nine eleven. Caller: I thought you just said it was nine-one-one Dispatcher: Yes, ma’am nine-one-one and nine-eleven are the same thing. Caller: Honey, I may be old, but I’m not stupid.

My Personal Favorite!!! Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What’s the nature of your emergency? Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart Dispatcher: Is this her first child? Caller: No, you idiot! This is her husband!

And the winner is……….
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 Caller: Yeah, I’m having trouble breathing. I’m all out of breath. Darn….I think I’m going to pass out. Dispatcher: Sir, where are you calling from? Caller: I’m at a pay phone. North and Foster. Dispatcher: ! Sir, an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic? Caller: No Dispatcher: What were you doing before you started having trouble breathing? Caller: Running from the Police.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

GOOD ARTICLE

The One-Man Political Machine

Very well written, informative article. Why can't the local papers have stories like this?

Sunday, February 6, 2011

COOL

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

LET IT SNOW!


 

It's gonna be a busy night. And then there's the ride home...
Stay safe everyone.