Cleveland Kidnap Victim Amanda Berry's 911 Call Operator Under Review
Cleveland abduction victim Amanda Berry's frantic call to 911 after she escaped could result in a disciplinary hearing for an emergency services dispatcher.
Authorities said they were reviewing the actions of the 911 call-taker who answered Berry's emergency call, after receiving numerous complaints about the operator's "dismissive attitude".
"The actions of the 911 call-taker who received an emergency call from Amanda Berry are under review," said Martin Flask, director of Cleveland's Department of Public Safety.
"While the call-taker complied with policies and procedures which enabled a very fast response by police, we have noted some concerns which will be the focus of our review, including the call-taker's failure to remain on the line with Berry until police arrived on scene.
"This matter will be investigated and, if necessary, appropriate corrective action taken."
Berry called police moments after she crawled out from the home-dungeon where she had been prisoner for a decade with her six-year-old daughter and two other women.
"Help me please. Help me. I'm Amanda Berry," she told the operator. "I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years, and I'm here, I'm free now."
"OK, and what's your address?" the call-taker replies.
Berry gave her address as 2207 Seymour but the operator pointed out she was calling from 2210. "Huh?" said Berry in obvious distress.
She explained that she was calling from across the street and urged the operator to send police immediately before her captor returned. Berry gave a man's name - Ariel Castro - and repeated that she had been missing for 10 years.
"I'm Amanda Berry. I've been on the news for the last 10 years," she told the operator, who replied: "I got that, I already got that, dear. And, you say, what was his name again?"
The operator then hung up after telling Berry that police were on their way.
"I would like to note that the call-taker did take the call, create an event and send it to the channel dispatcher in less than 90 seconds," Flask said.
"Within one minute and 18 seconds from the time that the call-taker answered the call our dispatcher was broadcasting the assignment to available police units. As a result of the call-taker's actions, police were dispatched and on scene in less than two minutes."
Ariel Castro has been taken into police custody with his brothers Onil, 50, and Pedro, 54. They are accused of holding Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight captive for a decade.
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