Politicians Urge Mandatory State Training

Members of the North Port (Fla.) City Commission have voted 5-0 to support mandatory state training for public safety dispatchers, in the aftermath of the murder of Denise Lee last January. The commissioners voted to “support legislation that will increase 911 training and awareness, including but not limited to, amending the Denise Amber Lee Act, and make it mandatory for call takers to receive this training.” Lee dialed 911 after she was kidnapped from her North Point home, but a series of mistakes prevented officers from finding the suspects car until after she was killed and buried. After the murder, state legislators passed previously-introduced legislation to set training standards, but made the standards voluntary and unfunded. Lee’s husband Nathan has formed the Denise Amber Lee Foundation to raise money for dispatcher training, and to eventually open a 911 training center in North Port.