State 911 Director Defends System

The head of Maine’s 911 system said her agency has investigated recent complaints about the handling of 911 calls and says that dispatchers acted appropriately in all cases. Department of Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan’s statements came after several agencies complained that dispatchers had either not dispatched field units or sent them to the wrong address. Jordan appeared before a legislative committee on Monday and reassured them that the state’s 911 comm centers and dispatchers are operating correctly and efficiently. She said logging tapes disputed a citizen’s claim that deputies failed to find a man reported to be wandering on a highway, who was later found dead. Two other incidents were also handled correctly, she said, despite claims that deputies were sent to a wrong address and failed to warn deputies of weapons. Read the entire background here.