Murdered Girl’s Family Files Lawsuit

As expected, the family of murder victim Brittany Zimmermann has filed a federal lawsuit against Dane County (Wisc.) alleging that county officials had prior notice from a consultant in 2004 of “serious deficiencies” with their E911 center, failed to properly fund, staff and supervise the center, and established “disciminatory” rules and procedures for handling hang-up 911 calls. The lawsuit cites violations of the 5th and 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and asks for unspecified damages. Police believe Zimmermann, a 21 year-old college student, was murdered April 2nd by an intruder, and that a 911 call was placed by someone inside Zimmermann’s apartment. No officer was dispatched and Zimmermann’s body was found later. The parents also want a copy of the logging tape of the 911, and agree to keep it confidential if it’s released. Download (pdf) and read the lawsuit here. In other developments, the county identified the dispatcher who handled the call as Rita Gahagan, and said she had been transferred April 14th to the county’s Child Support agency. The comm center board also approved procedure changes for wireless 911 calls–all calls will now generate a law enforcement response, whether or not the dispatcher can tell if the person calling needs assistance.