Clarke Discusses 911 Dispatcher Incident
By Dan O'Donnell
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has discussed his recommendation that a 911 dispatcher be fired for gross neglect of duty after he hung up on a woman as her boyfriend attacked her.
On WTMJ's The Jeff Wagner Show Friday afternoon, Clarke said he was "disgusted" by the incident.
Click Here to listen to Sheriff Clarke and Jeff Wagner
Click Here to listen to the 911 call
"There's nothing to talk about, get away!" the woman can be heard screaming at her boyfriend when the dispatcher answered her call.
"Talk to me or I'm hanging up," the dispatcher replied as the woman became increasingly frantic, screaming "No! Get away! I don't want you! No!"
She then apparently asked her young daughter to "come by mama. No! Do not leave your mama, he's going to hurt her!"
"Call me back when you're going to talk to me," the dispatcher replied, and then hung up the phone.
The woman was able to contact the Milwaukee Police Department, which is handling the investigation into the alleged assault.
"The experienced dispatcher should have known that you don't hang up on people because they are unable to articulate the kind of help they need,"
Sheriff Clarke said in a news release. "It was evident by listening to the call that there was a lot of chaos going on at the scene. This caused a delay in getting law enforcement and possible medical treatment to the victim."
The Milwaukee County Personnel Review Board is investigating and will determine whether or not to dismiss the dispatcher.
"The Sheriff indicates that these are the kind of situations that lead to nightmarish outcomes that we have read and heard about all over the country, including the incident involving UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmerman," said Sheriff's Department spokesperson Kim Brooks.
"There is no excuse for this," Clarke said. " I will not tolerate it and I am demonstrating that. 911 dispatchers operate with no margin of error. They all know this."
"I'm disgusted by what took place."
Clarke Discusses 911 Dispatcher Incident | Newsradio 620 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin News, Talk, Sports, Weather | Local Headlines
911 dispatcher hangs up on woman being attacked
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