Jury Convicts Detroit Dispatcher

A Detroit (Mich.) jury took about three hours to determine that dispatcher Sharon Nichols was guilty of neglect of duty when she mis-took a 5 year-old boy’s 911 call for a prank, and didn’t create an incident for dispatch. She will be sentenced in March. The boy called in 2006 to report his mother was unconscious and needed medical help. She was found five hours later when the boy called 911 again and a second dispatcher sent police to scold the boy. The trial judge earlier dismissed identical charges against dispatcher Terri Sutton, who handled the second call, saying she did send officers in response to the boy’s call. After the trial, Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Lora Weingarden told reporters, “I hope that it makes every 911 operator in the city and across the country think real hard before dismissing a call as a prank.” Listen to the first call, second call, and watch a video interview about the incident.