MILWAUKEE — Two Milwaukee dispatchers have been placed on administrative leave after a 99-year-old woman waited more than two and a half hours for help following 911 calls reporting she was being attacked in her home.
"We are deeply concerned about what this resident experienced and about the length of time that passed before emergency responders were dispatched," DEC Director Tony Bueno said. "We are carefully reviewing the initial call, the information available to DEC personnel, the classification and handling of the incident, and whether established procedures were followed. We owe the victim, the public and our employees a complete and fact-based review."
The DEC said a third-party answering service contacted the Milwaukee 911 center shortly after 5:15 a.m. Monday to report a disturbance and threats of physical harm may have been occurring.
A second call from the same third party was received shortly after, confirming previously provided location information. The caller was also able to provide what is believed to be a live audio feed from inside the residence.
Neither call resulted in the immediate dispatch of emergency responders.
At approximately 7:51 a.m., the woman called 911 directly and reported that she had been physically attacked and was injured. At that time, the call was classified as a "high-priority incident," and first responders were dispatched.
Milwaukee Fire Department personnel arrived in the area at approximately 7:57 a.m. Milwaukee police arrived at approximately 8:23 a.m. The woman was transported to a hospital for treatment.
The DEC said the employees were placed on administrative leave as "a precautionary personnel action, not a final finding" and that "appropriate corrective action based on the verified findings" will be taken.
"The public must be able to trust that we will examine difficult incidents honestly, learn from what occurred and make necessary improvements," Bueno said. "That commitment also requires us to avoid assumptions and allow the review process to establish the facts."
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