Dispatcher Resigns After Discipline

An Old Saybrook (Conn.) police dispatcher has resigned after mishandling a hang-up 911 call and serving 10 days off without pay as discipline. David McDonald was a 17-year veteran of the agency, but chose to resign instead of coming back to work. According to a police investigation, last November someone dialed 911 from a cellular phone, and it was answered by the Valley Shore Emergency Communications center. The call lasted 14 seconds and the calltaker heard words, but couldn’t understand the caller. The calltaker relayed the information to McDonald, saying that perhaps the caller was having a medical problem. The receiving cellular tower and phone number was identified. McDonald called the number, and talked to a man who said that he didn’t need any assistance. Two days later, two men–including the one who dialed 911–were found dead. An autopsy found they died of natural causes. But since McDonald didn’t follow procedures for handling such calls, he was disciplined. Read more of the story here.