911 director apologizes to Zimmermann family, public, media

Nathan J. Comp  —  5/09/2008 5:22 am

Embattled 911 Center Director Joe Norwick made an about-face Thursday evening, offering a public apology seven days after telling reporters "there's nothing to apologize for" regarding how his department handled a 911 call made from Brittany Zimmermann's cell phone around the time she was murdered.

Zimmermann, 21, was found murdered in her downtown apartment on April 2. Sources tell The Capital Times that she was stabbed. Last week it was revealed that a 911 dispatcher, after being disconnected from the call, violated county policy by failing to call back.

The dispatcher, however, did call back a hang-up call that came in around the same time. Two males said the call was a mistake. Police initially believed the males answered Zimmermann's phone. For two weeks they pursued the lead until the 911 Center revealed the call came from a landline at a Middleton residence.

After the call was reported on last week -- more than a month after the murder -- Norwick came under fire for initially denying the call had occurred, implying the dispatcher was still fielding 911 calls and for saying there was nothing to apologize for.

Madison police said sounds were made during the call that should've prompted a police response. Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk apologized to the Zimmermann family and her fiance on Tuesday. Falk stated firmly that she would not fire or demote Norwick. Disciplinary action against the dispatcher is being considered.

On Thursday Norwick expressed his "sincere sympathy to the Zimmermann family" for his department's  mishandling of the 911 call and to "the public and media for any misleading statements I made."

Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard opened the meeting with an explanation for why so much about the call is being kept under wraps.

"The danger is that witnesses will tailor information or confuse what they've heard, read or been told" with what actually happened, Blanchard said. He stayed for the meeting to ensure Norwick didn't answer questions that might impede the investigation.

For nearly 90 minutes Dane County supervisors asked Norwick questions about technology at the 911 Center, policy regarding hang-up calls and how to prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future.

Norwick paused before answering each question, allowing Blanchard and a county attorney the chance to object to supervisors' questions. Asked whether the public should have confidence in the 911 system, Norwick said, "Yes, we haven't stopped operating because of this call."

Norwick added that no system is perfect.

"People in a very stressful job make mistakes," he said. "We've told you what they are, we've told the public what they are. We hope no mistakes happen every day in the 911 center. Can I guarantee that? No. Can I work on opportunities to limit mistakes? Yes."

Regarding how precisely the system can zero in on cell phone calls, Norwick said, "Accuracy goes from pinpoint to several miles. What we have today is better than what we had before, but it's still not perfect."

The 911 computer system was upgraded in 2006 and is scheduled for further upgrades this year.

The County Board's mood didn't mirror the public outrage over the mishap, but it did have just as many, if not more, questions. Though the board was subdued, Supervisor Eileen Bruskewitz (District 25) did criticize Kathleen Falk for attending a conference in New York rather than the meeting.

"This looks more to me like a cover up," Bruskowitz exclaimed, before Board Chairman Scott McDonell (District 1) scolded her comment as inappropriate.

Joshua Westcott, a Falk aide, was present.

Supervisor Dave Wiganowsky (District 21) expressed surprise that the dispatcher wasn't put on administrative leave. He also said he's concerned that the 911 Center was still having employees rotate stations mid-shift despite a 2004 report that said the practice "creates the potential to cause distractions."

"That's a concern," said Wiganowsky.

Like Norwick, Falk has been widely criticized for comments she made earlier this week, saying that even had police been dispatched, they wouldn't have saved Zimmermann.

Supervisor Kurt Schlicht (District 28) said he has been unimpressed with how Norwick, but particularly Falk, has handled the controversy.

"It does seem funny that the leader isn't here when her 911 director is testifying before two committees," he said after the meeting. "She isn't genuine and lacks direction. She is in panic mode, not directional mode."

Schlicht was also skeptical that a report prepared by Norwick's staff would tell the full story. A one-page summary of the report was released Tuesday. It stated the dispatcher committed two errors in handling the Zimmermann call. A redacted version of the 40-page report is expected to be released sometime Friday.

Nathan J. Comp  —  5/09/2008 5:22 am