City probing what took so long to help off-duty officer
By Fran Spielman
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — Chicago’s emergency chief has launched an internal investigation to find out why up to eight minutes went by before police were dispatched to assist an off-duty officer who called 911 to report that he had been shot at by a car filled with alleged gang members.
Four men are facing attempted first-degree murder charges after allegedly following the unidentified Marquette District officer and firing shots into his vehicle shortly after 3 a.m. on Aug. 28. The officer, who managed to return fire while driving, was not injured, sources said.
A 10-1 -- the term used to describe a call from an officer who needs assistance -- is the most serious of emergency calls, requiring immediate dispatch. But that’s apparently not what happened at 26th and Pulaski. For some reason, dispatch was delayed. And Ray Orozco, executive director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, is determined to find out why.
“We’re conducting an investigation into an allegation that there was a delay in dispatch of a 10-1 for a Chicago Police officer. That means officer needs assistance. It doesn’t necessarily mean the officer was shot,” Orozco said.
“There’s quite a few people who were interviewed. We will know the exact minutes and seconds [of delay] because it’s all taped. Safety of the public and first-responders -- whether it’s police officers or firefighters -- is part of our core mission here at OEMC.”
Orozco refused to speculate on the cause of the delay.
“We’ll find out what the facts are. I hope to conclude the investigation by the middle of next week,” he said. “I can’t say whether there will be disciplinary action or not. I have to see whether the charges are sustained.”
Sources at the 911 center reported that the incident was bungled from the outset.
The first 911 call was dropped, forcing the off-duty officer to call back, the sources said. The call was then referred to a Zone 10 call-taker/dispatcher, who turned on her red light to notify a supervisor that an officer needed assistance.
The supervisor then returned to his desk and allegedly did not follow through to make certain that the Zone 10 dispatcher -- accused of causing the delay -- had handled the call correctly. Only after a so-called mobile relay officer called in to ask about the 10-1 call did police finally get dispatched, the sources said.
After the delay, the supervisor gave a “verbal warning” to the dispatcher who allegedly dropped the ball, sources said.
Two years ago, two 911 dispatchers were suspended -- for 20 and 15 days respectively -- for failing to notify police about a brawl at Durkin Park on the Southwest Side.
Procedures at the 911 center were also changed after that incident. For example, a giant screen was installed on the operations floor listing pending calls and the length of time awaiting dispatch.
That prompted one dispatcher to say of the Aug. 28 incident, “How in the world did the numerous supervisors on the floor miss this?”
Copyright 2009 Chicago Sun-Times