911 Director Reassigned, Dispatcher Fired

The 911 director for Fulton County (Geo.) has been reassigned, and the dispatcher who mishandled a 911 from a dying woman has been fired in the aftermath of a response delay. Darlene Dukes died from a lung ailment August 2nd after she waited 30 minutes for an ambulance, delayed because dispatcher Gina Conteh apparently misunderstood Dukes’ street name. Officials initially said that an unnamed dispatcher had been disciplined, but now name Conteh as the 911 calltaker, and say she has been fired. Perhaps most troubling, county officials acknowledge that Conteh’s personnel file totals over 2,100 pages for a 17-year career, including seven suspensions between 2002 and 2007. One incident involved an on-duty fight, for which Conteh was ordered to take anger management classes. Another involved sleeping so soundly on-duty that she fell from her chair. There were also commendations in Conteh’s file. In addition, county officials say that Rocky Moore was reassigned to take away comm center duties, although he will remain an employee of the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency. He has served as 911 director for 11 years. Read more here.