911 operators - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

wiseguy182 · 05-07-2013, 02:27 AM

I almost hate to say this, but in watching UM and other true crime shows, I find that a good chunk of 911 operators tend to irritate the hell out of me. I mean, there is a life or death situation going on, and they let precious moments lapse by because they either a) keep repeating everything the caller says, b) asking questions they've already been given the answers to, c) or some combination of the two. There are even times when the operators don't seem to believe the caller. I can't recall an example off the top of my head, but it just seems I hear a lot of "What do you mean..." by that type questions. Anyone else also feelin' this?

To end this post on a more positive note, one 911 operator I *did* like was the Antoinette Cayedito one. She was calm, asked pertinent questions: "Whereabouts in Albuquerque?" and just generally seemed to have hear head on straight. I also got the feeling she was familiar with the case beforehand, which helped in this situation.

ScaryFog · 05-07-2013, 07:22 AM

I've noticed this too. And they almost seemed annoyed at the callers. Like as if the caller is a child asking for another cookie when they've already had too many.

They're begging for their life, and the 911 Operators have this attitude like "calm down already, we'll get there when we get there".

WishfulDreamer · 05-07-2013, 08:08 AM

I understand that 911 operators are trained to remain calm and that them panicking will not help; however, I have heard about some downright negligent operators who have caused deaths. Of course, it's a high-stress job and many operators are fantastic. There are just some bad apples who really need to be reprimanded. Here's an article I read some time ago about the subject.

http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/91...gically-wrong/

It's Reader's Digest, but it does have some really sad examples about the operators who are bad apples, as well as the reminder that callers to 911 cause problems, too. I would never try to do the job myself and know I do not know the meticulous details about what the job requires. But the mistakes by subjects in that article are absolutely horrendous.

wiseguy182 · 05-07-2013, 08:28 AM

@Scary Fog: You read my mind. Cool user name, btw.

everybodylovesrs · 05-07-2013, 09:38 AM

Case in point...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/07...eged-abducter/

TheCars1986 · 05-07-2013, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by everybodylovesrs

Case in point...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/07...eged-abducter/

That dispatcher seems to have done their job pretty well, IMO. She got police on the way as soon as Amanda Berry said she needed police.

everybodylovesrs · 05-07-2013, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

That dispatcher seems to have done their job pretty well, IMO. She got police on the way as soon as Amanda Berry said she needed police.

Just sounded snotty to Amanda.

TheCars1986 · 05-07-2013, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by everybodylovesrs

Just sounded snotty to Amanda.

The dispatch probably didn't recognize her name offhand. I'm sure dispatchers get their fair share of pranks or non-emergency calls to 911, which is why they have to question the person calling extensively.

Orange_Sody_84 · 05-07-2013, 10:17 AM

Meh... Listening to the Call online the 911 Dispatcher seemed to think it might be a joke. when he told the Police Officer about it the tone seemed like "just another call to push through". Sure he could've been nicer but put yourself in his Shoes. Think of how many Prank calls are put through. The call itself sounds so surreal.

Watching the show "I Survived" always has the worse 911 Dispatchers. One episode had a poor woman who was stuffed in a Trashcan filled with Snow by her Husband. She could barely talk and the Operator said "Well then how are you calling me??" Sadly the Dispatcher was very rude and snippy with her. the majority of the Dispatchers on that show always sound bored, annoyed, or indifferent.

dks64 · 05-07-2013, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by everybodylovesrs

Case in point...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/07...eged-abducter/

I heard the call last night and figured this thread might be about it. I understand that the operators have to remain calm and get as many details as possible, but she just sounded downright mean to me.

catlover79 · 05-07-2013, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by everybodylovesrs

Just sounded snotty to Amanda.

I know. But then again, over the past 10 years, there have been plenty of hoaxes as far as those girls are concerned. Just over this past summer (July 2012), there was a major one concerning Amanda. Maybe the operator was thinking, "Yeah, SURE you're Amanda Berry, and I'm the Queen of England".

Here's the hoax involving Amanda from this past summer in case some of you hadn't heard about it:

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/loc...rry-search-tip

Spark Of Spirit · 05-07-2013, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orange_Sody_84

Watching the show "I Survived" always has the worse 911 Dispatchers. One episode had a poor woman who was stuffed in a Trashcan filled with Snow by her Husband. She could barely talk and the Operator said "Well then how are you calling me??" Sadly the Dispatcher was very rude and snippy with her. the majority of the Dispatchers on that show always sound bored, annoyed, or indifferent.

I remember that one, and it really annoyed me. Either she's telling the truth and she's dying or she made up the most elaborate and ridiculous lie for no reason. I mean, come on. She even sounded like she was dying.

amandab1234 · 05-07-2013, 07:12 PM

The 911 operator that Antoinette Cayeito had came off as rude to me..

DALLASTEXAN!! · 05-07-2013, 07:44 PM

It's a lot easier to be critical of these people when compared to actually doing their jobs. I'm sure they are trained to ask the same questions over and over again to make sure they get the correct info to the right people. They also have to remain calm for the caller in a life or death situation. Remember they can't see what we see on tv as it is happening live. We are looking back and are judging them. Rescue 911 is one of my fav shows and I'm constantly yelling at the operator to hurry up lol even when I know what will happen and they did not at the time.

LooksLikeCRicci · 05-08-2013, 02:39 AM

This case wasn't profiled on UM, but there was a double homicide in Montana last year which I fully expect to make the rounds on all the true crime shows. Essentially: Man decides to divorce his wife of 20+ years. He files for divorce and changes the locks on his doors (he and his wife had already been separated for some time prior to his filing for divorce). THE DAY AFTER the wife was served with the divorce papers, she obtained a key to his home (through the landlord, who the husband forgot to tell that he was divorcing her), lets herself in, sits in the living room for FOUR HOURS, and then shoots her husband multiple times. He survived the initial shooting, while his girlfriend goes fleeing through the apartment. The girlfriend calls 911 and states that her boyfriend has been shot and the shooter is after her next. The shooter tracks the girlfriend down (all this on the 911 call) and says "You stole my husband," etc. before shooting the girlfriend.

THEN... the wife calls 911 and tries to frame the whole thing on the girlfriend. The 911 dispatcher has already got the whole thing figured out in her head and asks the caller, "Do you have a gun in your hand?"

Police had already been dispatched and were treating the call like the girlfriend was the shooter, not the wife. The 911 dispatcher was trying to tell them that it was actually THE WIFE who was the shooter. In the chaos, the girlfriend bled to death. The husband died of his injuries about an hour or so later.

I understand that several of these folks may sound bored. Long story short, I think this 911 operator was very helpful in ensuring that this cold-blooded killer went to prison for the rest of her life.

05-07-2013, 02:27 AM	#1
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	911 operators I almost hate to say this, but in watching UM and other true crime shows, I find that a good chunk of 911 operators tend to irritate the hell out of me. I mean, there is a life or death situation going on, and they let precious moments lapse by because they either a) keep repeating everything the caller says, b) asking questions they've already been given the answers to, c) or some combination of the two. There are even times when the operators don't seem to believe the caller. I can't recall an example off the top of my head, but it just seems I hear a lot of "What do you mean..." by that type questions. Anyone else also feelin' this? To end this post on a more positive note, one 911 operator I did like was the Antoinette Cayedito one. She was calm, asked pertinent questions: "Whereabouts in Albuquerque?" and just generally seemed to have hear head on straight. I also got the feeling she was familiar with the case beforehand, which helped in this situation.

05-07-2013, 07:22 AM	#2
ScaryFog Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 25, 2009 Posts: 222	I've noticed this too. And they almost seemed annoyed at the callers. Like as if the caller is a child asking for another cookie when they've already had too many. They're begging for their life, and the 911 Operators have this attitude like "calm down already, we'll get there when we get there".

05-07-2013, 08:08 AM	#3
WishfulDreamer Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 01, 2009 Location: L.A. Posts: 3,868	I understand that 911 operators are trained to remain calm and that them panicking will not help; however, I have heard about some downright negligent operators who have caused deaths. Of course, it's a high-stress job and many operators are fantastic. There are just some bad apples who really need to be reprimanded. Here's an article I read some time ago about the subject. http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/91...gically-wrong/ It's Reader's Digest, but it does have some really sad examples about the operators who are bad apples, as well as the reminder that callers to 911 cause problems, too. I would never try to do the job myself and know I do not know the meticulous details about what the job requires. But the mistakes by subjects in that article are absolutely horrendous.

05-07-2013, 08:28 AM	#4
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	@Scary Fog: You read my mind. Cool user name, btw.

05-07-2013, 09:38 AM	#5
everybodylovesrs Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 12, 2008 Posts: 526	Case in point... http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/07...eged-abducter/

05-07-2013, 10:17 AM	#9
Orange_Sody_84 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 05, 2010 Location: Myrtle Beach Posts: 234	Meh... Listening to the Call online the 911 Dispatcher seemed to think it might be a joke. when he told the Police Officer about it the tone seemed like "just another call to push through". Sure he could've been nicer but put yourself in his Shoes. Think of how many Prank calls are put through. The call itself sounds so surreal. Watching the show "I Survived" always has the worse 911 Dispatchers. One episode had a poor woman who was stuffed in a Trashcan filled with Snow by her Husband. She could barely talk and the Operator said "Well then how are you calling me??" Sadly the Dispatcher was very rude and snippy with her. the majority of the Dispatchers on that show always sound bored, annoyed, or indifferent.

05-07-2013, 07:12 PM	#13
amandab1234 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 17, 2011 Posts: 573	The 911 operator that Antoinette Cayeito had came off as rude to me..

05-07-2013, 07:44 PM	#14
DALLASTEXAN!! Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 31, 2007 Location: Devil's Backbone Posts: 3,138	It's a lot easier to be critical of these people when compared to actually doing their jobs. I'm sure they are trained to ask the same questions over and over again to make sure they get the correct info to the right people. They also have to remain calm for the caller in a life or death situation. Remember they can't see what we see on tv as it is happening live. We are looking back and are judging them. Rescue 911 is one of my fav shows and I'm constantly yelling at the operator to hurry up lol even when I know what will happen and they did not at the time.

05-08-2013, 02:39 AM	#15
LooksLikeCRicci Likes to live in a clean house Moderator Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2005 Posts: 4,050	This case wasn't profiled on UM, but there was a double homicide in Montana last year which I fully expect to make the rounds on all the true crime shows. Essentially: Man decides to divorce his wife of 20+ years. He files for divorce and changes the locks on his doors (he and his wife had already been separated for some time prior to his filing for divorce). THE DAY AFTER the wife was served with the divorce papers, she obtained a key to his home (through the landlord, who the husband forgot to tell that he was divorcing her), lets herself in, sits in the living room for FOUR HOURS, and then shoots her husband multiple times. He survived the initial shooting, while his girlfriend goes fleeing through the apartment. The girlfriend calls 911 and states that her boyfriend has been shot and the shooter is after her next. The shooter tracks the girlfriend down (all this on the 911 call) and says "You stole my husband," etc. before shooting the girlfriend. THEN... the wife calls 911 and tries to frame the whole thing on the girlfriend. The 911 dispatcher has already got the whole thing figured out in her head and asks the caller, "Do you have a gun in your hand?" Police had already been dispatched and were treating the call like the girlfriend was the shooter, not the wife. The 911 dispatcher was trying to tell them that it was actually THE WIFE who was the shooter. In the chaos, the girlfriend bled to death. The husband died of his injuries about an hour or so later. I understand that several of these folks may sound bored. Long story short, I think this 911 operator was very helpful in ensuring that this cold-blooded killer went to prison for the rest of her life.