Investigate, fix 911 flaws
"911 is a joke," rapped the seminal hip-hop group Public Enemy almost two decades ago.
The point was that, for all the hype, supposedly sophisticated communications systems didn't get cops to inner-city neighborhoods any quicker.
In Madison, in recent weeks, there has been reason to reprise the trenchant social commentary of old because, when it mattered most, 911 was a joke.
When a call came from the phone of University of Wisconsin student Brittany Zimmermann to the 911 center on April 2, no return call was made.
That's a violation of normal protocol at the Dane County 911 Center and similar facilities nationwide.
But, of course, it is more than that.
Zimmermann was found dead in her Doty Street apartment, reportedly from stabbing wounds, on the day the call was made. Investigators believe the student sought help shortly before she was killed.
It is impossible to say whether Zimmermann would have avoided harm if 911 operators had followed proper procedures. But it is equally impossible to say that a police crew, if dispatched immediately, would not have been able to scare away an intruder, prevent an attack or, at the very least, get Zimmermann help in time to save her.
That's the most serious issue of concern at this point.
But because Dane County residents rely so much on 911 services, for both specific responses and a sense of security, action on the 911 Center is essential.
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk has taken the lead on this front.
Falk is making specific demands for upgrading the 911 Center in order to ensure that a mistake like this never occurs again.
Falk has, as well, instructed the center's director, Joe Norwick, to update her regularly on how the facility is operating and what steps are being taken to improve those operations.
The county executive is not pointing fingers of blame just yet. An internal investigation of the response to Zimmermann's call must be completed. But when the review is done, Falk should continue to take the lead in ensuring that everyone -- including managers -- who failed to act responsibly is held to account.
Dane County's 911 system may not be a joke.
But it is not what it should be.
Falk, who deserves high marks for taking the lead on this matter, is best positioned to hold the center's staff to account for past mistakes and to make it clear that there will zero tolerance for future failures.
File photo
Has the Dane County 911 call center become a joke?
