NTW: Split Opinion

The nation’s opinion of public safety dispatchers was cruelly split during National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week as dispatchers were honored at some jurisdictions, while newspapers and TV stations continued to run stories on the Detroit (Mich.) 911 incident. Even the local Detroit Free Press recognized the irony with a story that recognized Macomb County dispatcher Thomas Stawski for handling a 911 from a child. The newspaper went on to wonder, “The juxtaposition of the two cases raises questions about whether 911 callers are treated differently in the city and the suburbs.”