CAD Geofile Blamed For Response Delay

An oddity in the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) geofile at the District of Columbia‘s comm center prevented a calltaker from entering the exact location of a fatal accident last month, delaying the arrival of emergency units by at least 10 minutes. Officials say the calltaker acted properly, and it’s not clear if the victim would have been saved by a quicker response. During a severe snowstorm, a tree along Military Rd. NW fell onto two vehicles. The driver of one vehicle dialed 911 and explained she was near Military Dr. and Beach Dr. However, those two roadways don’t physically intersect—Military goes over Beach via an overpass. Therefore, the intersection isn’t listed in the CAD geofile. The next-closest intersection is Military and 16 St. NW, and those two roads also don’t physically intersect, but are separated by an overpass. The calltaker consulted with a parks police dispatcher during the 14-minute 911 call from the victim, and eventually entered the location as Military and 14th St. NW, about ½-mile from the actual accident scene—those two streets do physically intersect. Teddy Kavaleri, interim director of the DC Office of Unified Communications, said the geofile glitch would be fixed. Read more here, listen to the call below, and check a map after the break. 

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