There is slow progress on two federal lawsuits against a Mississippi E911 board for sex, age and race discrimination filed by former employees of the center. Columbus-Lowndes County E-911 Telecommunications is operated by the two counties to provide emergency communications, and is governed by a seven-member board that is the subject of both lawsuits. Former dispatcher Julia Burgin was fired in Jan. 2009, allegedly for comments she made during a phone call to a police officer that was responding to her home. Burgin’s son and a neighbor were having a dispute over a trash can during which the neighbor said the N-word—Burgin’s son is African-American. During the call, Burgin said in court documents that she told the officer, “(the neighbor) should be thankful that he was not speaking to my oldest son, because he would not have let Mr. Kidder speak to him in such a manner.” Burgin was fired a week later. Jessie Colvin was the first African-American and female director of the center when issues of staffing shortages and non-compliance with state-required training came up. During a meeting with the board about the issues, Colvin explained she had been called up to the Army Reserve for one year and was totally absent for that period. Days after the meeting, she was asked to resign, and when she refused, she was fired. She claims her termination was for sex, age and race discrimination. In her lawsuit she provided several examples of the E911 board’s prejudices, including board member statements that “males make better managers than females,” and that the position was temporarily filled by a white male who was “the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit,” and finally by “a white male with no prior experience.” Both lawsuits were filed in 2009 and are still unresolved. Download (pdf) the Burgin lawsuit summary, and the Colvin lawsuit, including complete depositions. Update: In Dec. 2010 a federal jury found for the defendants, ruling Burgin had not been fired because of her race, but rather for job performance.

A 911 call from a woman concerned about five people opening wearing handguns in holsters outside a Madison (Wisc.) restaurant ended with the police dispatcher explaining the state’s open-carry law, and with the woman saying, “Then there is no problem and it’s not an emergency. Even so, eight MPD officers were dispatched to the restaurant, and ultimately arrested members of the Wisconsin Carry Inc. (WCI) group when they failed to identify themselves. The group was formed to promote the state law that allows citizens to carry holstered, unconcealed and loaded firearms in non-sensitive locations, the so-called “open carry” law. The arrests sparked criticism from the WCI and public debate over the law. The WCI notes that neither the caller or others present noted any disturbance, threatening behavior or other violation of law. Four minutes into the call the dispatcher explained the open-carry law, prompting the caller to declare the situation was “no problem.” Madison police later dropped the failure-to-ID charges, but the district attorney then charged the men with disorderly conduct. The police department issued a press release that seems to say officers will respond to every report a person with a holstered weapon to investigate if it’s being properly carried and the person has the right to possess a firearm. Chief Noble Wray also issued instructions to officers on handling such incidents, including checking each firearm serial number against the NCIC stolen property database. Read the WCI’s response to the arrests, read the MPD’s press release., and listen to the 911 call below. [audio:http://mp3.911dispatch.com.s3.amazonaws.com/madison_opencarry_911.mp3]

As part of an on-going effort to question the interoperability of public safety radio networks, the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing last week to discuss the status of Project 25, a 1989 plan to standardize digital radio technologies. During a previous House subcommittee hearing, witnesses disagreed on the current status of Project 25 implementation, and noted that $2 billion in federal grant spending on interoperability had failed to achieve its goals. That earlier hearing generated several follow-up questions from Congress on whether there truly was competition among manufacturers of P25 gear, and led to last week’s follow-up hearing. read more

A former Glen Cove (NY) fire dispatcher who spent 34 years at the console has been arrested and charged with 104 counts related to forging checks and embezzling $196,000 from the fire department’s charitable fund. George W. Gray, 68, was arrested in North Carolina, where he moved after retirement last year. He was also a firefighter at Glen Cove FD for 44 years. According to the Nassau County prosecutor, Gray was in charge of the charity fund, and managed donations from the public for various fire department projects. Between 2002 and 2009 Gray allegedly wrote 300 checks to himself, court documents state, and used the money to pay off credit cards, buy model railroad gear and expensive cigars. About 100 of the checks were written with the forged signature of the fire department’s treasurer, the prosecutor says. After Gray retired, a department audit of the fund discovered the thefts of money. Gray appeared in court today on grand larceny, forgery and official misconduct charges. He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court next week. Update: In Jan. 2011 Gray pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, and in mid-March 2011 Gray was sentenced to from one to three years in jail. He was also ordered to repay the money that he stole.

Two dispatchers in Georgia were fired earlier this month after an armed robbery suspect tipped police that the employees were providing criminal histories and warrant information to criminals and suspects. Jeanita Fulmore, 29, and Latoya Smith were fired Sept. 7th after the witness said the two were known in the criminal community as willing to run names through the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) database, tipping off criminals of outstanding warrants. It’s not clear from news accounts if the two were taking money for the information. The Dougherty County district attorney’s office said the two have not been charged and no investigation has been opened on the case. Today the two women appeared at a termination hearing to formalize their firings. According to city officials, Fulmore and Smith admitted during interviews that they ran names in GCIC without authorization. Last year Fulmore came to national attention after she shot herself in the leg at a Taco Bell drive-through. She picked up her 9mm pistol from the glove compartment while searching for money, and she reported it went off accidentally. Update: City manager Alfred Lott upheld the firing of Smith and accepted the resignation of Fulmore after meeting with them Monday. Sources told a local newspaper that two other dispatchers are being interviewed by police in connection with misuse of the GCIC. The police and district attorney continue to state if the woman are under criminal investigation.

One of the country’s most progressive and historic law enforcement agencies has posted the job of Communications Manager, opening the position to a civilian for the first time. The Berkeley (Calif.) Police Department comm center handles police, fire and EMS dispatching for the city of 102,000 in the San Francisco Bay area. The comm center has four supervisors and 28 dispatchers, who have been managed by a police lieutenant most recently, and in previous times a police sergeant. Since August Vollmer became the department’s first police chief in 1905, Berkeley has been on the forefront of law enforcement procedures, education and technology, with credit for development of the lie detector and use of vehicle police radios starting in 1928. The new Communications Manager position follows a re-organization of the department after the appointment of a new police chief last January. Surf the city’s Human Resources Web page for full job information and a description of the application process, which closes Oct. 18th.

At its public meeting on Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved more stringent accuracy requirements for wireless E911 calls, and asked for public input on how to better locate callers who use VoIP or future wireless technologies to make emergency calls. In a press release, the FCC said that “up to 40 percent” of wireless 911 calls fail to provide an accurate location to the calltaker. The FCC originally mandated certain accuracy requirements for 911 calls, as measured over the wireless carrier’s entire service area. Initially that measurement provided basic and useful information to the Commission on the success of the wireless location systems. However, as the number of cellular phones and wireless 911 calls increased, the issue of location accuracy has become more critical. The FCC began asking for input on the subject in 2007. Public safety agencies advocated to the FCC a smaller accuracy reporting area, including a proposal by National Emergency Number Association (NENA) to report by PSAP service territory. read more

Witnesses who testified before a Congressional committee on Thursday about building a nationwide public safety radio network almost universally invoked memories of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and urged Senators to pass a bill that would directly allocated spectrum to public safety. The Senate committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation is chaired by Sen. Jay Rockefeller IV (D-WV), who has introduced S. 3756 that would snatch a 700 MHz allocation away from an auction planned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and deed it to a public safety trust. The committee heard from city and county public safety leaders, the mayor of Houston, the FCC’s’ Public Safety Bureau chief, a representative of the fire service and a private consultant. The witnesses testified that, “From Hawaii to Florida, from Texas to Maine and all parts in between, we have the same problems”—funding and sufficient spectrum to communicate. They pointed out that it’s been 10 years since the September 11th terrorist attacks, an “unconscionable” period of time, according to Houston mayor Annise Parker, to wait for interoperable communications. But Ken Zdunek, chief technology officer of consulting firm Roberson & Associates, said the slow pace is necessary. He acknowledged the frustration of public safety agencies, but added, “Any decision about how to proceed may still be premature until the FCC, with guidance from the public safety community and industry, is able to fully evaluate the complex issues that implementation of such a network raises.” Read a press release from Rockefeller on the need for a nationwide network, and a summary of the witness testimony. The entire hearing video is available on-line, including printed opening statements of Rockefeller and minority chair Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Download (pdf) and read testimony from the witnesses, including a press release from the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) supporting Rockefeller’s bill. The Public Safety Alliance held a press conference outside the Capitol after the hearing. Watch the video after the break. read more

A double suicide in England accomplished by mixing household chemicals inside a parked car has re-emphasized the critical role of dispatchers in handling citizens calls of such incidents. UK police say the man and woman were strangers who met in-person just hours before they posted warning signs on the inside of the cars windows, mixed chemicals in buckets and were then fatally overcome. Several other incidents have occurred around the world, including one in Japan that overcame 80 passersby. The chemicals used present an extreme health hazard to first responders, who might unknowingly open the door to a car, building or room, and be exposed to the lethal gas. The most common gases involved are hydrogen cyanide or hydrogen sulfide, both very toxic when inhaled. Law enforcement says that almost universally, the participants post warning signs (right) for passersby or first responders, warning them of the lethal atmosphere inside. Also possibly visible are buckets or open containers of chemicals. The signs or containers could provide clues which 911 callers would provide when calling to report a suspicious vehicle or other situation. read more

Some of the mystery over the March 2007 disappearance of Walker County (Geo.) sheriff’s dispatcher Theresa Parker has been solved: Sheriff Steve Wilson announced today that her remains were discovered by a farmer in a field in Chattooga County, about 30 miles south of her home in LaFayette. Walker and her husband Sam Parker were going through a divorce when she disappeared. Her husband denied any knowledge of her absence, and even speculated that she had run off with another man. However, 11 months later police arrested Sam Parker for murder, and he was convicted in Sept. 2009. Wilson said, “It’s difficult to report, but it’s also a day I think that the family can somehow put some closure with it.” He explained that last Monday afternoon a man looking for walking sticks on his farm property discovered what appeared to be a human jaw bone. Sheriff’s deputies and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation responded, and found more human remains. The GBI matched dental work on the jaw bone to Parker’s dental records.Wilson and Floyd County prosecutor Lee Patterson met with Theresa’s family early today to announce the discovery. Patterson told reporters, “They still…I think even now, even with what they were told today, I think they still had held out hope that she might come back.” Sam Parker is serving a life sentence. Read more about the area where the body was found, and about this week’s investigation. Read previous 911Dispatch.com news reports here. Update: Theresa Parker’s sister Hilda Wilson recalls the good times. A GBI forensic anthropologist describes her investigation here.

Earlier this month, things were looking pretty grim for the town of Houston (Alaska), since on the next day their dispatching contract with the city of Wasilla’s Mat-Com center was going to expire. The town of 1,200 couldn’t afford the rate hike proposed by Mat-Com—from $12,800 in 2009 to $54,000 this year. But private enterprise stepped in, when managers at Guardian Security (Anchorage) called the town’s mayor and offered to begin answering 911 calls and dispatching officers. Mayor Rosemary Burnett wouldn’t reveal how much Guardian is charging, but said it’s below the former $12,800 rate. Read more about the private 911 solution here. and download (pdf) a town press release on the situation here.

Two Fort Myers (Fla.) dispatchers have been fired after allegations they conspired to enter a fictional incident in the police computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system in response to a request from a love-struck officer. Dispatchers Joeleen Jeffery and Michael Grimmett were unanimously found guilty by a panel of captains and the police chief of two offenses—willful misrepresentation and falsification, and “conduct that dishonors the police department.” Officer Jason Moore was also fired for the same offenses, for telephoning Jeffery off-duty and asking her to send his ex-girlfriend—also an officer—to a local shopping mall on a “suspicious person” call. Moore told investigators that he hadn’t seen his ex-girlfriend lately and just wanted to talk to her. According to the investigation released by the department, Jeffery agreed to Moore’s request, and told other dispatchers about the plan. Grimmett actually entered the incident in CAD, making up the description of a, “black male wearing a t-shirt and jeans looking into car windows.” The plan unraveled when several other officers responded to the radio call on their own, prompting Grimmett to radio a sergeant and confess what was occurring. The sergeant called off the cover officers, and an internal complaint followed. Download (pdf) the investigative report here.

Anyone who has an opinion on whether the state of Illinois should sole source a $208 million radio lease with Motorola for the next 10 years should be prepared to talk fast during a hearing next Tuesday in Chicago. The conditions for appearing in person at the Central Management Services (CMS) hearing include pre-registration, three minutes of testimony with the possibility of more time, no substantive questions of the hearing committee, and termination of any testimony that’s abusive or irrelevant. The CMS has already proposed allowing the sole source deal for Motorola to continue owning, operating and maintaining the radio network, and leasing it back to the state. According to paperwork filed by the CMS, sole sourcing to Motorola is justified by, “compatibility of equipment, accessories, replacement parts or service.” read more

Internal state reports and audits examined by an Oregon newspaper have revealed that construction of a statewide public safety radio network is even more over-budget and still delayed. Legislators are questioning the wisdom of continuing to fund the Oregon Wireless Interoperability Network while the state faces a $3.2 billion budget shortfall. According to the state reports examined by the Portland Oregonian, the newest estimate of OWIN’s final cost is $592 million, more than $107 million more than state officials reported earlier this year. The report also shows that OWIN planners didn’t include the costs for a network operations center or a contingency fund. Both omissions will end up costing the state much more money. Read about the latest news and the newspaper’s on-going coverage of OWIN here.

Keokuk (Iowa) police dispatcher Debbie Cruickshank has been working at the agency for 35 years, and has accumulated 1,400 hours of sick leave, a benefit that’s now the subject of controversy after the city council voted to close its comm center and moving dispatching operations to the consolidated Lee-Comm center. Council members voted last year to make the dispatching change to streamline operations and increase safety, not to save money. But now the council is questioning the $17,521 that Cruickshank, dispatcher June Billups (22 years, 488 hours) and dispatcher Cara Johnson (8 years, 90 hours) will take with them when they move to the county center. “This is an awful lot (of money),” said council member Karole Smith said at a recent meeting. But police chief Tom Crew said the payout had been budgeted and is owed to the dispatchers. He said the city had attempted to have the sick leave transferred to the county, but procedurally could not. Ironically, the city caps sick leave accumulation at 568 hours, so Cruickshank will receive only about 40% of the sick leave she actually accumulated over 35 years. Read more here.