911 Calls Figure in NY Governor’s Decision

Three 911 calls made by a New York City woman may reveal why Gov. David Patterson decided not to run for re-election, and raise questions about how dispatchers handle calls involving politicians. Sherr-una Booker dialed 911 to report that boyfriend David Johnson had assaulted her. She mentioned to the dispatcher that Johnson “works for the governor,” but that information wasn’t relayed to officers who eventually responded and took a report. Had the officers known of Johnson’s employment, they would have been required to notify a supervisor of the incident. The state’s attorney general is now investigating if Gov. Patterson and State Police Sup. Harry Corbitt improperly contacted Booker in an attempt to have her withdraw her assault complaint. The incident raises a sticky issue for dispatchers—in this case NYPD dispatchers are not required to make the same notification as officers. It’s not clear if the calltaker knew of the reporting policy and deliberately decided not to include the information for the officers so the governor’s aide wouldn’t get into legal trouble, or didn’t realize the employment information was important to include.