Long-time Jefferson County (Colo.) sheriff’s dispatcher Cindy Cline has passed away after a short illness. She was 54 years old. Ms. Cline had 28 years of service with the sheriff’s department, almost all as a Communications Unit Supervisor, and another five years of dispatching experience before that. She was also a long-time member of APCO, was president of the state chapter in 2007, and was an instructor for the APCO Institute. She was very active in dispatcher training, both for her agency and at the state level. Ms. Cline was among the dispatchers who responded to the comm center on April 20, 1999 when 911 callers from Columbine High School began reporting explosions and gunfire. The six on-duty dispatchers managed to field 31 calls from the school within 40 minutes, staying on the line with many of the callers, who were hiding, injured or dying. Ms. Cline and several other off-duty dispatchers responded to work 12-hour shifts over three days, handling hundreds of 911 and non-emergency calls from victims, inquiring citizens and the press. She later appeared at the 1999 APCO conference in Minneapolis to share her experiences with fellow dispatchers. “Professionalism really reigned that day. I’m really proud of Jefferson County,” she told the audience. Ms. Cline’s sister Kathy is a dispatcher for the Golden (Colo.) Police Department.
The following story appeared in DISPATCH Monthly Magazine in mid-1999.
Dispatcher Calm During Shots & Grenades
- Officers Knew Description & Danger Early
- Code 33 and Sirens
- Dispatchers Are Unidentified
by Gary Allen, Editor
From the tone of voice, pacing and pitch of the dispatcher’s voice, no one could possible tell that one of America’s most deadly shoot-outs was in progress.
In fact, the logging recorder tapes of radio traffic from the Jefferson County (Colo.) Sheriff’s Office are remarkable because they sound so ordinary. In a six-minute segment of the radio tape released by the sheriff, an unidentified dispatcher fielded radio traffic from a deputy at Columbine High School, units responding Code 3 to the assist him, and fed them all information being taken by call-takers, including that shots were being fire and that someone on the roof might be throwing grenades.
The sheriff’s office also released tapes of two telephone calls from persons at the school, including from a teacher in the library who screamed at students to “Heads under the table!,” even as gunfire is heard in the background. The first call, was from a student apparently on a cellular phone, who reported that a female was down in the south parking lot. The unidentified calltaker referred to other reports of explosion, so apparently it was not the first call received. The caller said she didn’t see what happened, but reported that students were running from the school. The dispatcher works through the standard questions and, at one point, the screech of the school’s fire alarm is heard in the background.
“Is it okay if I keep you on the phone here, to see if there’s anything else going on?” the calltaker asked. At that point the taped excerpt ends.
The second call released by the sheriff was a teacher in the school’s library. “I’m at Columbine High School. There is a student shooting a gun,” the woman told the calltaker. “I’m in a little bit of a panic” the woman said. Before the calltaker can ask any questions, the woman yelled, “Under the table kids! Heads under the table!” The woman is understandably hysterical, explaining that students have been shot, and the calltaker can barely get a question in edgewise. “Do you know where he’s at?” the calltaker asked. The woman said, “He’s outside” and the calltaker then asked for a clarification. The woman explained, “Outside in the hall.”
The woman then said smoke is coming into the room, and the calltaker told the woman, “I just want you to stay on the line with me, ’cause I need to know what’s going on.” The woman responded, “I am on the floor…” and then she again screams at the students to “Stay on the floor!”
Then the horrible sound of gunshots rings out in the background–the very near background. It sounds as if the suspect is standing very close to the woman caller, but in fact he’s outside the library door–six shots in four seconds. “Fire and police are enroute,” the calltaker reassures the woman.
Code 33
“Shots fired at Columbine High School, 6201 S. Pierce,” the radio dispatcher told units on the radio channel tape played by the sheriff. “Possibly in the south, lower lot. A deputy was assigned to the school and used his badge number 71 as a radio call sign. “Shots in the building,” the deputy radioed. “I need somebody in the south lot.” The radio dispatcher told him that “MC-2,” a motorcycle unit, was in the area. Officer 140 then says he is responding, and the dispatcher acknowledges and–as is apparently the practice–broadcasted the time of “eleven twenty-six.”
Another unit said they’re responding, with a siren blaring in the background as the officer heads through traffic. There is one or two seconds of multiple transmissions, which ends with a unit transmitting loud and clear, “Code 33″–emergency traffic only. The dispatcher then repeats, “Attention all units, per 71, several shots fired, Columbine High School. Use caution.”
Other units radio they are responding, and the dispatcher then repeated Code 33. “Other units not at Columbine High School, take your traffic to channel 2.” A units reports that an alarm proves OK and that he’s heading to the high school.
There is then a scratchy transmission that sounds like 71, possibly from inside the school. The dispatcher, perhaps reading from the CAD screen, radios to the officers, “Report of possible grenades in the school.” Even at this point, the dispatcher’s voice is calm, collected and hasn’t changed pace.
The dispatcher repeats information from an officer that automatic weapons might be involved. “Also, we have a report from outside the school that possibly grenades are being thrown from the roof of the school.”
Officers are now beginning to arrive, and they’re covering off the front and back of the school. An officer radioed, “West side by the ball field, possibly wearing black trench coats.” Just three minutes into the incident, the officers had a description–bare as it was–of the suspects. The dispatcher repeats the information and adds, “Suspect has a shotgun.”
Unit 71 officer requested an ambulance, and the dispatcher asked him if he wants the EMS unit in the lower lot. “They need to stay away for now. Break.” The dispatcher told him the fire department is staging, and then without missing a beat, said, “Go ahead.” The officer replied, “I got a couple of shots off at the shooter, at the southeast end–southwest, I’m sorry.”
The dispatcher clarified the location, and the officer then added, “It’s a big gun.” The radio dispatcher’s voice has not changed since the incident began.
The dispatcher coordinated the arrival of several other units, then another officer radioed, “Additional shots fired. Large caliber.” There is the sound of static, as if a unit is transmitting, but just beyond radio range. Then the static clears slightly and you can hear, “Shots fired inside.” The dispatcher then apparently turned to her CAD screen, to see information telephoned in by those inside the school. “Units, we have information of shots fired, possibly in the library.” Then another officer transmitted, “More shots fired.” The dispatcher calmly repeats the information with a “Ten four.”
Throughout, the radio channel is clear of non-essential traffic, units are not covering one another, and–although the urgency is obvious–not a single officer sounds out of control or even excited.
At 1131, an officer reports “smoke from the building,” apparently from the explosive devices being detonated. It’s been just four minutes since the incident began.
Officer 71 does not make a broadcast, yet the radio dispatcher radios other units, “Attention all units. 71 is under fire. He advised the suspect just ran into the building.” It’s not clear where that information came from. Then there are three transmissions on the radio logging tape, all difficult to understand. The radio dispatcher repeated, “71 is still under fire in the south lot.”
At that point the excerpt ended.
While giving out copies of the tapes at a press conference, Jefferson County Dep. Steve Davis named Officer 71 as Neil Gardner, and that he was posted at the high school. However, no one asked the name of the calltakers or the radio dispatcher.
Read my account of Cindy Cline’s presentation at the 1999 APCO Conference, and browse this collection of Columbine incident information.
I was honored to meet both Cindy Cline (l.) and
her sister Kathy at APCO’s 1999 annual conference in Minneapolis.
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