A Tragedy of Bureaucracy
This is just heart wrenching…
(Update: Detroit, April 7, 2006, 12:24 p.m.) An investigation is underway in Detroit after a six-year-old boy called 911 to get help for his mom, and the operator acted as if it were a joke.
Detroit NBC Affiliate WDIV reports that six-year-old Robert Turner called 911 on February 20. He thought his mother, 46-year-old Sherel Turner, had passed out. She was later found dead.
911 tapes detail the call, where the boy tells a female operator that his mom had passed out. The operator demands to speak to an adult before sending police.
The boy eventually hung up and called back a short time later. This time, the same operator warns the boy that he could get in trouble for making a prank call to 911. The boy said police didn’t arrive until three hours later and found his mother dead.
The family is now pursuing a lawsuit.
Officials said the 911 operator will be disciplined, but because of her years of service she will not be fired.
Police continue to investigate.
Won’t be fired?
Go to the news story and watch the video in the right column. So sad.
2 Responses to “A Tragedy of Bureaucracy”
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por suerte acá no es asÃ… mi hija de 7 años llamó a 911 para hacer un chiste… no llegó a hablar con ninguna operadora y colgó… a los 10 minutos me llamaron y les expliqué que habÃa sido una travesura infantil… pocos minutos después estaba la policÃa controlando que todo estuviera bien en mi casa… y explicándole a mi hija que no debÃa jugar con el TE!! Se asustó tanto mi hija con el reto de la mujer policÃa que ahora ve un policÃa y sale para el otro lado! jajajaja…
My heart breaks for this little child. I pray for him that he will have some of the love only a mother can give from his family. On the news in Detroit this morning, he was surrounded by his family who appears to love him and embrace him. It gives me some comfort, but he is obviously very very sad.