D.C. Councilman Frustrated Over 911 Call

WASHINGTON -- After a D.C. Councilmember recently expressed outrage at how a 911 calltaker handled his request for help, WTOP Radio obtained the recording of that 911 call.

After 1 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, At-large Councilman David Catania heard screams of a woman screaming for help. Catania dialed 911.

The calltaker, located at the District's Office of Unified Communications call center on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast, asked if this was a police, fire or medical emergency.

Already speaking over the calltaker, a confused Catania responded, "Fire. I mean police, police!"

When the dispatcher tried to clarify, Catania responded, "Police. Police, c'mon."

After this first exchange Catania tells the calltaker "This is Councilmember Catania," and starts to speak rapidly and starts raising his voice. In the heat of the moment, Catania fumbles over some of his words. The call taker asks him to repeat where he is. Catania does so, but is shouting.

"Sir, if you don't stop yelling I can't hear you," says the calltaker, unable to make out what Catania is saying.

Catania curses loudly and starts to speak more rapidly, as the calltaker's volume also rises. For several seconds both Catania and the calltaker are speaking simultaneously.

Eventually, Catania demands to know the calltaker's identification number. She tells him that her number is 1040, and asks again where he is, and if somebody is being robbed.

In between attempting to answer the question, Catania again demands the calltakers identification number.

The calltaker chides Catania, "Sir, you already have that -- you forgot it?"

Eventually Catania asks for the calltakers name, but she declines to answer, saying she's already provided her ID number.

"Okay, do you have any more information for me sir," asks the frustrated sounding calltaker. "Did you see anything?"

"There is screaming," shouts an exasperated Catania. "You know what, it's too late."

The calltaker informs Catania she has already sent a police cruiser to the area.

"I just wanted to ask you -- sir, are you intoxicated?" asks the increasingly frustrated sounding calltaker with the councilmember trying to speak over the calltaker. "Listen to me sir, I'm trying to ask you a question. The question is... I have the police in route. I need to know that you..."

An incredulous Catania repeats the question, "Am I intoxicated?"

The callmaker decides to terminate the call, as Catania says, "I'll take care of it," without specifying how.

The next day, Catania detailed his frustrations during a hearing for the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, which oversees the Office of Unified Communication, which runs the 911 call center.

At the hearing Janice Quintana, director of Office of United Communications, describes Catania as "frantic" on the tape, according to The Examiner. Quintana told the public safety panel, chaired by councilman Phil Mendelson, that roughly 1,000 calls a week to the call center are being monitored for quality.

The head of the calltaking center offered to play the recorded call -- Catania said no.

Sent a copy of the recording by WTOP, a spokesman said Catania was unavailable for an interview.

"Councilmember Catania appreciates that the situation was frantic," the spokesman for Catania told WTOP. "A woman was being attacked and screaming for help near his house, and he called 911 to have the police dispatched to the scene. As he stated at a public Council hearing, his frustration arose from the fact that he was not provided assurances that the first available unit was on the way until nearly 1 minute 30 seconds into the call."

"The person involved in the robbery was arrested within 12 minutes." Travis Dupree, with the Office of Unified Communications, told WTOP. "The episode is being used as a training tool for the entire staff. The call taker involved was not disciplined."

(Copyright 2007 by WTOP Radio. All Right Reserved.)