Kids Fly Away, Parents Dial 911

The parents of three Jacksonville (Fla.) teenagers dialed 911 when they found out the trio had left home in a taxi and disappeared. But the 911 calltaker failed to ask key questions of one parent who called, resulting in a low-priority incident classified as a dispute with a taxi driver, and a 90-minute wait for an officer. In the meantime, the parents learned the children, ages 11, 13 and 15, had taken that taxi to the Jacksonville airport, bought tickets and flew to Nashville (Tenn.) out of summer boredom. During a second call to 911, a parent was frantic about the situation, but a calltaker could only say that an officer would be dispatched—”We can’t give you an estimated time,” the dispatcher said. During a third call to 911, the parent spoke to a supervisor, who assured the parent an officer would be enroute. Now comm center chief Greg Burton says the original calltaker could have asked more questions, and that he’s looking into how the incident was handled. The children called home when they arrived in Nashville, and they were returned safely to their parents.