Dispatcher Resigned Before Discipline Hearing

The Barnstable County (Mass.) sheriff’s dispatcher who fielded a 911 call about a choking woman and gave no medical instructions to the caller has resigned. Sheriff James Cummings wrote a letter to Mashpee selectmen saying the dispatcher resigned Dec. 27th, and that he’s hired an outside firm to evaluate comm center operations. Other reports identify the dispatcher as Sgt. Rhonda Colburn, an 11-year veteran of the sheriff’s department who was working as a supervisor in the comm center last September. During a 12-minute 911 call, Colburn was mostly silent as a man reported his wife was choking on a marshmallow, and EMS were responding. Katie Gill was unconscious when EMS units arrived and could not be revived. Town and county officials initially said the incident was properly handled and EMS units arrived quickly. But within weeks Cummings admitted that the 911 call had been mishandled. Since the incident, Cummings said that Colburn had been working some shifts, but off on leave at other times. He said her resignation came before a disciplinary hearing that would have decided what action to take. He told the selectmen that he had not previously released Colburn’s name or other details because of union contract requirements and personnel regulations. Read more about the resignation and aftermath here.