“You Didn’t Answer My Questions!”

This operator should be fired immediately this call is a complete disaster.

I have noticed that the all of the operators have 0 local knowledge. How can you not know where the Taft is?

How can it possibly be that anyone working in New Haven doesn't know where the Taft Apartments building is?

The city should get rid of the current director and get somebody more qualified in there. Too many controversies with that call center since Harp put that man in charge, and there shouldn't be any issues, not when public safety is on the line.

I was wondering when someone was going to write a complete story on this tragic incident--I am stunned that it has taken this long.

I find the line of questioning of this operator and, having listened to the call, the operator's behavior absolutely appalling. The caller is clearly in hysterics and the operator continues to ask questions that were asked and answered in a manner that is abrasive and lacks thought to what the caller is experiencing. The caller tells the operator that she is concerned her friend may jump out of the window and the operator doesn't even acknowledge this. It begs the question, "was this death preventable?"

I have to agree with @ILivehere that this operator should be fired. I would take it a step further and say that the person who trained this operator should be fired too.

I'm curious how frequently these operators are evaluated and provided training. It would be negligent if both evaluation and retraining occurred less than on an annual basis. There are MANY operators that do a wonderful job for city residents. That said, these folks should be regularly evaluated and retrained given the nature of their job.

WHAT A MESS! She needs to be fired immediately. I cannot imagine being the poor girl who had to deal with all of that AND have that woman talk to me like that. The cops were SO close to when he jumped! I feel terrible for that poor young woman! Anyone should know a downtown landmark like the Taft. WHAT A MESS!

The dispatch center is an utter mess. Has been and is even worse under Briscoe. There is rampant favoritism and unprofessionalism including on duty staff sleeping at their posts. This is all on camera and ignored. Some of the dispatchers actually take to arguing with personel over the air, or have their temper tantrums. Its disgusting.

Did you guys listen to the same tape that I did?

How in the world would any of you handle this situation differently?

She is attempting to get vital information from someone who is clearly facing an incredibly dangerous information and attempting to keep her focused on getting that information.

At this point the situation is spinning out of control inside the room and the dispatcher needs to relay information to police who are literally minutes away facing an unknown situation. If you listen to the call, that is exactly what is happening.

This wasn't a time for feelings, this is a time for actions and direction and to try to keep control of a situation which clearly turned tragic due to the actions of an incredibly disturbed individual.

If anything this recording shows a commendable attempt to guide all the parties involved (the people in the room, the police and ambulance crews)
to a safe resolution.

She says it clearly in the call what she is trying to do, and I believe she did succeed in this:

"You need to focus on what I'm saying. I'm going to get some help. But I need to make sure officers, medics and you are going to be safe. So focus on my words ma'am."

I think its unlikely that the operator could have saved the jumper's life. In fact, whether or not she intended, not having the caller intervene may have saved the caller's life. Whether or not the operator knew the Taft, she had the address within 30 seconds so presumably the police were notified and they just didn't get there in time.

I agree with Pedro. Thought the dispatcher did a nice job under tough circumstances. The dispatcher is handling other related tasks at the same time as the call. Great job reporting NHI.

Elm City Resident got it right.

.
Disgusting. Need to clean out the whole department right to the top,

Cops are not the answer--Train those who are the new bosses after the current leaders are fired.

I had a similar, but not as serious experience in Hamden many years ago when the cops ran the 911 operation.

Had front page coverage for a week or two winding up with apologies from the Chief and Police Board (all good guys) and led to, I believe, Hamden's dropping of cops for 9ll in favor of well trained (as far as I know) non -cops.

Saves a lot of money for the Town and with adequate training can provide better service.

I'm pro-cop but for that job, you do not need someone who can shoot, sprint a mile, or lift and beat up Tony Galento. They just have to sit at a desk, be well-trained and want to help folks

The cops are just looking for extra hours,, but we do not need to pay cop- rates for that job.

Teachable Moment = She didn't handle this well so without acknowledging that directly we'll start using this call as a what not to do part of our training.

A few months ago I called the nonemergency number bc a car blocked the entrance to our driveway and I couldn't get out. The dispatcher accidentally hung up on me mid sentence. I waited a few minutes thinking she'd call back. When she didn't I called back and overheard other dispatchers cackling about a lost call from someone complaining they couldn't get to work. When I told the new dispatcher they were talking about my call his bumbling response was,"Oh. Uhh sorry."

There is nothing this dispatcher could have done to prevent the young man from taking his life. But that's not their job. Their job is to be courteous, effficient, level-headed, knowledgeable, and capable of multitasking. Those who can't handle that should find a different line of work.

This operator is horrible and New Haven needs to get these people under control. This has been going on and has been documented for way, way too long. Horrible.

I don't care what anyone says about this situation. THAT IS HER JOB and she did not deliver what I believe she should have.

If I pay taxes in this city and that is who will answer my 911 call,...I feel I should have the right to complain.

If she wasn't a Yalie and was a single mother in the 'ville we'd be singing a different tune altogether.

Not acceptable. The director making absorbent overtime on our taxpayer money? Where is he? HE NEEDS TO GO. HARP, thoughts on this?

Exactly when in this conversation were the cops dispatched to the Apartments?

An important part of the story I would think ------, especially as it relates to Pedro, Robn and WC's comments

If it has really done near the beginning of the conversation, that could change the whole deal here

The caller had to repeat information to the operator more than once. The operator was not listening to the woman when she persistently tried to address the potential jumper. The operator's tone also heightened violence in the room. Listening to this call I believe that the operated should be fired immediately as well as the head of the department as this is systemic and has been ongoing for years in both non-emergency and emergency.

The scariest statement in the whole article is:
Briscoe called the dispatcher one of his most "seasoned" staffers,

I say bring in a professional to review the call. Does Briscoe really have the expertise to evaluate this situation. According to his own staff from previous articles the answer would be NO! Is he whitewashing this incident to gain favor among a group of employees who clearly do not like him or his leadership or lack there of.

The Call

New Haven 911.

Someone just stabbed my friend in the neck.

I'm sorry ma'am. Where are you?

The Taft Apartments, New Haven.

The Taft apartments ...

New Haven, Connecticut

What number's the street?

What's the street? What's the street?

55 College St.

55 College St.

(Coughing in background)

OK. What's wrong.

Someone stabbed my friend ...

Someone stabbed your friend?

... in the chest and neck.

OK. What apartment are they in.

Just by reading this I do not see what the operator did wroug.From what I am reading the operator was double checking the callers answers.


Sit down!

Tyler, stay on the fucking couch! Right now Tyler!

Ma'am!

I'm listening to you ma'am, but ...

You didn't answer my questions!!! They're on their way! And their safety is just as important as yours! Tyler ... Is that the one with the knife?! That's a yes or a no answer!

He doesn't have a knife. I don't know what happened.

OK! But he is the one that stabbed your friend! Yes?

Yes.

OK.

Yes, but he's not ...

Does he have the knife on him any longer?

Here the call seems to be upset whe she said Sit down!

Tyler, stay on the fucking couch! Right now Tyler!

Also the operator was trying to help the give first-Aid.

Ma'am. Tyler is OK. Focus on the friend that's stabbed.

Yes. I have pressure. I've been holding pressure on this whole time.

OK. Is he conscious?

Alexander?

Yeah.

He's conscious.

OK.

No the operator should not be fired.He or she did they job.But I know the union and public sector haters would have the operator fired.

What a chilling horrendous call. I'm certainly no expert but I don't hear anything horribly wrong in the dispatcher's conduct of the call. She has an hysterical woman on the line who is completely distracted (understandably) by a guy about to jump out of the window. The dispatcher seems to be doing a reasonable job of trying to get the caller to focus on saving the stabbing victim's life and getting information necessary to protect the caller and the responding officers. It seems as if the dispatcher is trying to give the caller a verbal "slap in the face" to get herself under control.

As I said, this is certainly not my field and perhaps the "slap in the face" technique only works in the movies and there is a better approach.

I'd love to hear from someone who knows.

I think the dispatcher did a good job given the circumstances. Having the caller repeat herself in my view is less about not paying attention and more about confirming vital information during an extremely stressful situation. How many times has someone told you one thing and you've heard another? Now put that in the context of someone who is emotionally out of control and possibly in danger of immediate physical harm. The dispatcher performed all of the following tasks: identified and confirmed the location, what occurred, the number of victims and attackers, the weapon and whether the attacker was still armed, tried to keep a hysterical person calm and render aid to a stabbed victim, identified how to access the building for first responders and relayed all of that info to dispatchers while remaining calm herself. Pretty good work.

The dispatcher was able to handle extreme panic and confusion over the phone, having to clarify information amidst extraordinary emotional chaos, physical injury, erratic behavior and danger. Help came quickly. The suicide occurred the moment the police and rescue squad arrived, possibly because they arrived. And the window was already open.

A perfect job? No. Ought to be fired? No.

While the 911 Operator did not help by yelling, and I have to wonder about her not knowing where the Taft Apartments are, most of this difficult call was handled well. The problem with firing people for making a mistake is they can never learn from it, and everyone else learns not to make mistakes, or rather to not get caught making a mistake,

I have to wonder at a seven-minute plus response time to a life-threatening situation.

I have heard that the 911 Call Center is an unprofessional mess, with people watching TV while on duty. Any chance the NHI will investigate? Probably not.

That at least one poster here did not know the gender of the 9111 Operation obliges me to question did that poster listen to the call before making his observation.

I was doing security work outside the Taft apts. last Saturday afternoon<when an extermelly intoxicated man came onto the block of College St.He began trying to assault passerbys and chased a young couple into the Bulldog store.Both the clerk of the store called 911 numerous times and we sercurity called twice.After about 20min.a sole ambulance showed up and drove away,we pointed the ditection he went down chapel they drove the opposite direction,police never showed up.OUR 911 CALL CENTER IS IN CRISIS AND ITS A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY.I am a on the street security and deal with it dailly.

This will take more than 2000 characters.

Part I:

Let's start with Bass/NHI. He reports in this article that the "dispatcher" and the caller were having trouble communicating and producing "potential" delays in addressing a crisis. He and the NHI have the 911 recording from an FOI request. Do they have the time stamps of: when the call was received/when the call taker was entering the information/when the 911 dispatcher was receiving, acknowledging, and then relaying that info into the dispatching of EMS and NHPD? If you have it, please print it so we can see where any "potential" delays occured.

Now, regarding the NHI Policy of not naming criminal suspects/arrestees. Again, in this instance, they conform to their policy, but give so many identifying details about this person. In the 2 NHI articles about this incident, we have learned his first name is Tyler, he is a w/m, graduated from Yale with a degree in Philosophy in 2015, is originally from Manchester NH, was involved in Conservative campus politics, and we also were given excerpts from his blog on Tumblr. Not too hard to figure out who he is, but the NHI stands steadfastly behind their policy of not naming suspects/arrestees. I'm trying to recall the last time the NHI reported on a supect/arrestee (including those who had not been apprehended yet and were still a danger to the public) and the readers were given such vast information about that person, including their Political Stance and excerpts from their Social Media postings. I'm thinking........No, couldn't come up with any examples.

If Bass/NHI think there is a problem in the 911 Call Center, they should do a real investigation. There are many examples of when there has been incompetence and unprofessional/rude behavior. The NHI could cull many NHI comments over the years and request FOI access to those tapes to shine a light on the problems there. In my opinion, this is not one of those times that the call taker dropped the ball.

Part II:

I was NHPD for 25+ years, Supervisor for 13+ years. I spent many shifts as the NHPD Supervisor in what was then CCS--the Police Dispatch Center. Yes, there were and still are, bad employees there. You shouldn't paint all cops as bad over the actions of some; the same goes here.

For the Arm Chair Critics out there: At 0526 hours, an intoxicated female, on a scratchy line, called 911 to report a stabbing. She said she was at the Taft Apartments, 55 College Street (it is 265 College Street). The call taker began asking pertinent questions; asking to repeat where she was (number address she gave was not Taft). She got the apartment number. She was able to learn the victim/caller/suspect were all drunk. She got a name and description of the subject; that at some point he no longer had the knife(a fluid situation that needed to be re-visited). She found out it was a chest wound. She gave first aid instructions. She tried to keep the caller focused; she raised her voice and gave her commanding instructions. The call taker did all this while talking to the caller and typing information into her computer.

The person stabbed in the chest survived. Does anyone think that the insistence on continuing first aid played a role in that? The drunk (and probably despondant)suspect jumped out the window. The victim survived; the caller did too. Are readers really blaming the call taker for him jumping?
A reader claimed that the call taker "heightened violence in the room"! How?!
Others wonder why the call taker didn't know where the Taft is and that she kept repeating questions. You have to do that with a drunk person who might give bad info. By the way, any NHI readers know where Essex Townhouses are? Ruoppolo Manor? Presidential Gardens? All in New Haven.

It sounds to me that the call taker did a great job. Now let's check the rest of the system, and see how soon her entries were read by the Dispatcher and EMS and NHPD were sent, and their response.

A young woman in hysterics after a night of drinking, high risk behavior and a sudden crime of passion together with a most likely over-worked 911 operator trying to make sense of a rapidly escalating situation with little to no background information. It's a recipe for tragedy. I find fault with the messenger (Paul Bass). The complexity and intensity of the charged interaction between the 911 operator and young woman warrants a thoughtful, reflective piece that explores the POV of all parties involved. Not the slap-dash piece that Paul has presented. I really expect more but have come to accept less from the NHI.

As a total side note: the call center employees should have access to and be trained in running a google search. If I say Taft Apartments to a 911 director she should be able to map it even faster than the literal 4 seconds it took me to open the browser and type it in.

The lack of empathy in the operator's voice makes her ill-positioned for the job. I have spoken to this woman multiple times before when calling 911 and I'm always struck at the seeming lack of efficiency created by her attitude.

This report highlights the very serious problems that exist at the NH Call Center. We should hope that we will never need the assistance of this center and certainly not of this "seasoned staffer."
1) Those who ask what's wrong with the way in which the call was answered have no idea how emergency calls should be handled. They are not expected to; when we don't know something it's best to ask questions.
2) Michael Briscoe is correct; this situation offers major teachable moments; unfortunately, a young life was lost. We hope the dispatcher and others will learn how poorly she handled the call; this is a time to learn, not to defend; aspects of the interaction are indefensible.
3) Given the details in this report, that young life could have been saved had the dispatcher been more competent, efficient, effective and knowledgeable. In this case being a "seasoned staffer" might mean being on the job a long time. That makes this situation far more worrisome. Her skills are poor.
4) Based on the information in the transcript this dispatcher was grossly negligent and incompetent. Her lack of self control, manner of eliciting key information, giving instructions and dispatching help within 30 seconds of taking that call were all substandard and are most likely to have contributed to a death.
5) There is one Taft Apts in NH; every emergency dispatcher should know the location.
6) Being told someone has been stabbed in the neck makes it a life-threatening situation. The ambulance should be on its way immediately. It's not the job of the caller to manage the scene; it's the job of the dispatcher.
The distances between the Taft, the ER and the NHPD made this situation manageable without loss of life. Tyler did not go out the window immediately after the stabbing.
A skilled dispatcher would have asked different questions; used a different tone and given different instructions. The fact that she is a "seasoned staffer" makes this situation most disturbing.

Fire her. Inappropriate slow response. I would have hung up the phone on her and attended to my friends.

I am not a pro but this woman has a difficult job and was faced with an hysterical drunken woman in an awful situation. I think she did what was necessary to get the situation under control as best as possible. I think that the other non-pros in this thread, that are calling for her dismissal, are out of line. And those BLAMING HER for this man's death are so out of line I can not write how I truly feel. Have any of you dealt with a situation anything like this before? I hope you are ready to take a seat at her desk, cause I don't want it.

I have 4 questions I would hope we can get an answer to:
1) How long did it take for the dispatcher to release the call to the Fire and Police?
2) How long after the call was released did the Emergency Responders take to arrive at the scene?
3) Have the stated benefits of moving the 911 Center from 200 Orange Street ever been realized?
4) The Asst Fire Chief was terminated for incompetence, is the performance of the Director of the Center being reviewed after the multiple issues that have been exposed?

I believe that we are entitled to the answers to the above as we, as citizens, are at risk for the performance of this work team and any financial risks to the City and it's taxpayers.

I think some of the people on here may be misunderstanding the way the system works, unless I am.

I'm pretty sure (and someone from PSAP can correct me if I'm wrong) that the Operator on the line with the 911 caller is a call-taker, who is only responsible for collecting the information from the caller and forwarding it on to a Dispatcher, who will actually dispatch the Police, Fire, and EMS units who will respond to the call. This allows the call-taker to continue getting more information as crews respond, without delaying help. However, in that situation, with an armed suspect possibly still in the apartment, no Firefighter or EMT is going to enter that apartment until the Police clear the scene. Because we don't hear this call-taker interacting with the units responding, I'm fairly certain that this is accurate.

Just because the Operator is on the phone with the caller does NOT mean that help isn't already on the way. Sure, the call-taker wasn't courteous, but its a high-stress situation and she needed to get this caller to focus and give her information that could help protect first responders. Just the other day in San Diego, 2 Firefighters were stabbed by a patient. You cannot be too careful these days.

If NHI could obtain the times for the following, it would further prove my point:
-Time the call was received
-Time the call was dispatched to Police, Fire, and EMS
-Time the units began responding
-Time the units arrived
-Time the Fire/EMS units were cleared by police to enter the apartment

If the timestamp for when the call was dispatched occurs during the recorded conversation with the caller, then obviously no delay occurred.

She should not be fired...she did her job. While the 911 dispatcher is speaking she is simultaneously sending information to emergency responders.

People are under in the impression that 911 gathers information first before they send the initial alert to responders. People think that the 911 responder has to hang up and call emergency responders.

Poor and misleading story by Paul Bass.

What is the screening process when recruiting for PSAP Staff members? What types of behavioral interviewing techniques are used by Briscoe in determining a candidate's suitability for a position in this room? How are the staff's skills sets weighted? It just doesn't sound like everyone in that room possesses the emotional intelligence to handle this type of a crisis. What is the PSAPs escalation policy? Are there staff members in the room who are identified as the "go to" person in this type of circumstance? Training is going to happen later this Summer? What about the calls that are coming right now? Briscoe keeps saying "he has a plan" but where and what is it? I'm sure there are folks in the room who are doing a fantastic job but we also know that there are others who are in way over their heads. Call takers who possess a tenuous grasp of the English language, as well as grammar and punctuation probably don't belong in the room. People who can't stay awake don't belong at the console. Don't mean to bash people who are just trying to make a living but working in PSAP is no joke. It's a huge responsibility both for management as well as the employees. Something needs to change.

Hello everyone. Critical training doesn't exist in PSAP. Employees hired are given the basic training and left to swim on their own so to speak. Common sense goes a long way in this job. You either have it or you don't. Sad to say, the following is ever so present in PSAP: Absoultely no leadership, no common vision, no strategic goals, and worst of all a complete lack of meaningful training. PSAP has not one certified trainer. Management randomly assigns a trainee with no plan, no timeline, no identified learning objectives which in many cases results in the failure of the actual training experience. Anyone hired now has to function eventually in the positions of a police and fire dispatcher. These positions require specialized skills and on going training. Just because new employees pass a basic civil service exam to get into PSAP, it in no way qualifies them to be a dispatcher. Cross training in these two areas requires a special skill set. Is an employee able to multi-task, listen, ask proper questions, control the caller, while most of all processing the information and entering it correctly into a computer and sending it off to the dispatcher? Most of the critical calls and information making it to the dispatchers in PSAP are grossly wrong and laughable. Mistakes cost critical time. We can't move beyond these issues and the rooms sub-culture until management takes a long hard look in the mirror. An outside management consulting firm should be enlisted to audit the operational integrity of the entire PSAP.

I have seen a lot of negative comments "SHE SHOULD BE FIRED!! IMMEDIATELY!!! SO RUDE! OMG!" and seen no basis or arguments behind these claims. If I am ever in an emergency situation, I hope this same person answers the call.

It is terrifying to think that there are people who would prefer a cuddly polite grief counselor to an emergency dispatcher when they dial 911. I just hope they aren't in charge of anything important.