911/Emergency: Do You Feel Secure?

What prompts this discussion is the first anniversary of the death of one Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old mother of two from North Port, Fl., who was kidnapped, raped and murdered a year ago yesterday.

I’ve written about her numerous times, but this time it’s not about Denise, her widower Nathan or their sons.

This is about the 911 or emergency area in your area.

Last year, Jan. 17, 2008, Denise was followed home, kidnapped, raped and murdered by a single shot to the head.

A motorist reported that she had seen what she thought was a child in a car, banging on the rear window. The 911 call was misdirected and the county in which the subsequent crimes occurred never reported the sighting. If it had been reported properly, perhaps a life would have been saved.

Today, however, Nathan Lee lives in the same town that I do. He’s filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the county in the hopes of making the county aware of its deficiencies in its 911 system. He’s 24 years old … probably much older experience-wise.

Nathan has appeared on national TV … on “Dr. Phil,” for one, in his efforts to bring the 911 system up to date. He’s slated to appear as a spokesman for the effort in California later this year, and his schedule calls for him to speak here in Florida later this year to report on the deficiencies of the 911 system overall.

I read a lengthy article about the 911 system in my local paper today. The stats were eye-opening. From 911 employees being asleep on the job to other employees throwing candy at the sleeping operator, to documented failures to properly report emergencies, to wrong addresses reported in life-threatening situations, to calls being misrouted to wrong areas (resulting in the proper help never happening), to serious calls being dismissed as nonessential.

How secure do you feel that, if in an emergency, YOUR call would make it to the proper area, and perhaps save your life or the life of a loved one?

Do you really FEEL secure? Have any doubts? Do you have good cause for having doubts?

I’d like to feel that the call that I make would save my life: an intruder who could threaten my life, pains in my chest caused by a heart attack, or yes, even a call that*I* thought was an emergency that turned out to NOT be one … being properly handled. After I read Nathan’s account, I don’t feel all that secure.

You?

Do you think you could place your very life in the hands of a 911/emergency operator in you area?

Memo to self: It would be comforting to know that if I were in danger, my plea for help would be taken seriously. But in these time, who knows? I might be dead days before someone came to my aid. © 2009 RJScott