Veteran Dispacher Resigns After Criticism

A 20-year Austin (Tex.) dispatcher has retired after criticism arose on the way he handled a 911 from a 9 year-old child reporting that her younger brother had been kidnapped by strangers. During the six-minute call dispatcher Victor Cervantes continued to ask the child who kidnapped her 5 year-old brother, apparently believing that someone knew the suspects. Cervantes was also slow to ask specific questions about the suspects, waiting five minutes to ask the girl in which direction the suspects left. “It was time for him to move on and that he realized he did not come across as very professional or very sympathetic,” said assistant police chief Leo Enriquez. Cervantes did dispatch units promptly, but Enriquez said the traumatized girl didn’t need to be spoken to like that. Listen (mp3) to the logging tape of the call here and consider how you might have handled the call.