The family of a 67 year-old murder victim has settled its lawsuit with the city of Berkeley (Calif.), accepting no money but establishing new options for dispatchers when talking to 911 and other callers. The settlement did not involve any payment of money. In Feb. 2012 Peter Cukor saw a man prowling outside his home in the Berkeley Hills and dialed a 7-digit non-emergency number for the police. An unnamed dispatcher told Cukor that an officer would be dispatched “soon.” However, a group of Occupy movement marchers were enroute to the city, and dispatchers had been told by a patrol supervisor to send officers only to Priority 1 incidents. The call-taker had classified Cukor’s incident as Priority 2, so no officers were dispatched. After about 15 minutes, Cukor went outside, the lawsuit states, believing that police were enroute, and that he needed to guide officers to his hillside home. The trespasser attacked him with a flower pot, bludgeoning him to death. Police arrived shortly after and arrested the suspect. In the settlement, the police department only agreed that dispatchers “may” perform call-handling tasks differently. First, dispatchers may advise callers that an officer will respond when a unit is available, but when it is appropriate they may add that there may be a delay due to higher-priority calls or high call volume. Second, when callers ask when an officer might arrive, dispatchers may say that they can’t estimate the time because there are too many variables. However, dispatchers may advise callers, when appropriate, that if they feel threatened they should immediately call 911. Lastly, when appropriate, dispatchers may ask callers toward the end of their call if there is anything they want to add. The police department did not say if they intend to make any of the call-taking policies mandatory.
1 comment… add one
The list of things that a dispatcher “may” handle differently should have already been part of their knowledge and skill set.
Courses are out there that provide the proper training…part of that is realizing community expectation. “Soon” can mean several different time frames depending on the person. One is taught to never use any phrases like “in a minute”, “soon”, “they will be there shortly”, etc.
As far as the call itself…training is provided specifically for prowler calls. We all know that any call that is received can escalate into a more violent and dangerous situation. Usually the caller is kept on the line until an officer arrives in the area. This should have been done…period. Every call has to be handled on its own merits…the fact that Mr. Cukor felt the need to call should have been enough. Mr Cukor would never have ventured outside his residence and come face-to-face with the individual that ended his life had he not been advised that an officer would be dispatched “soon”.
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