911 operator causes death

[kinggabby]

If this has already been posted then feel free to delete.


Denver police say they question a 911 operator’s decision after a man was shot to death returning to the location where he was first threatened.

The victims called 911 after being threatened at gunpoint by a group of men at 10th and Sheridan early Sunday morning. They drove into Wheat Ridge but the dispatcher told them to return to Denver, and that’s when the suspects fired on their car killing one man.

Rest of the story is here.

 

[Fatboy Joe]

I wonder where the people who said that Zimmerman should have listened to the dispatcher are going to be on this one. I would have told the dispatcher to go out to Denver her/his self..

 

[MLR]

I wonder where the people who said that Zimmerman should have listened to the dispatcher are going to be on this one. I would have told the dispatcher to go out to Denver her/his self..

First thing I thought of as well. This is what happens when people are taught to blindly follow instead of using common sense.

Michael

 

[ExtremistPullup]

No that ok, I'll file my report at the police station.

 

[RidgeHunter]

I wonder where the people who said that Zimmerman should have listened to the dispatcher are going to be on this one. I would have told the dispatcher to go out to Denver her/his self..

Because a dispatcher telling a citizen not to go out of his way to confront/pursue someone for "looking suspicious" is exactly the same thing as a dispatcher telling people to return to a place where they were just threatened by armed men.

I remember the pre-Zimmerman OSA where the consensus was CCW holders should go out of their way to avoid confrontations, even with people who had directly done them wrong, and anyone who disagreed was flamed unmercifully. The times they are a changin'.

 

[POKE1911]

It's easy to say the people should have used common sense and not gone back, but studies indicate that in high stress environments people are more complient to athoritative figures. Sometimes in panic situations people may go into survival mode rather than analytical, taking the advise of anyone they may trust, despite logic. I think this one is on the dispatcher!

 

[MLR]

Originally Posted by Fatboy Joe
I wonder where the people who said that Zimmerman should have listened to the dispatcher are going to be on this one. I would have told the dispatcher to go out to Denver her/his self..

Because a dispatcher telling a citizen not to go out of his way to confront/pursue someone for "looking suspicious" is exactly the same thing as a dispatcher telling people to return to a place where they were just threatened by armed men.

I remember the pre-Zimmerman OSA where the consensus was CCW holders should go out of their way to avoid confrontations, even with people who had directly done them wrong, and anyone who disagreed was flamed unmercifully. The times they are a changin'.

I did not get that from Joe's post. I took it to question not Zimmerman's actions so much as to question those in the Zimmerman case who say he should have blindly followed what the dispatcher told him to do. We have two different dispatchers offering advice. In my opinion the one in the Zimmerman case was correct and the one mentioned in this post was wrong.
Had Zimmerman followed the dispatchers advice I believe a life might have been saved. In this case a person did follow a dispatchers advice and it appears that a life was lost because of it. The point I got for it is that saying a person must follow the advice of a dispatcher in all cases is wrong.

Michael

 

[RidgeHunter]

Fair enough.

It's easy to say the people should have used common sense and not gone back, but studies indicate that in high stress environments people are more complient to athoritative figures. Sometimes in panic situations people may go into survival mode rather than analytical, taking the advise of anyone they may trust, despite logic. I think this one is on the dispatcher!

I remember reading a story about 9/11 where some goober woman took it upon herself to direct fleeing people back upstairs (towards the fire), people that could have likely gotten out had it not been for following her advice. Some pushed past her, but some listened.

I'm sorry, but if I'm fleeing a fire in the best way I think is possible, and you try to send me the other way, I'm going to hit you with whatever is handy and continue on my way.

You're right about the studies. People will follow authority figures and majority opinion even if it overrides known facts and their own sense of right and wrong. Been proven time and time again.

 

[inactive]

People will follow authority figures...

Uhhh, since when is a 911 dispatcher an authority figure?

I know you are not asserting this. But that most people would assume they are scares me. No disrespect to any dispatchers out there, I know many are well trained and perform a very noble duty. But it ain't exactly having a cop or fireman or paramedic on the horn...

 

[MLR]

Uhhh, since when is a 911 dispatcher an authority figure?

I know you are asserting this. But that most people would assume they are scares me. No disrespect to any dispatchers out there, I know many are well trained and perform a very noble duty. But it ain't exactly having a cop or fireman or paramedic on the horn...

The media is asserting this every chance they get on the Zimmerman case. Going so far as to say he disobeyed official orders from law enforcement. They want it both ways.

Michael