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I just don't think we should be so quick to apologize for a system that results in a woman being fined and subjected to national embarrassment over calling 911 for the wrong reason.
It's technically theft.
However, if the clerk were to give the customer an extra $5 in change and the CSR asked for it back to which the customer said 'no', leading to the CSR dialing 911, then unless there is the possibility of a disturbance, that would not be 911 worthy either.
I just don't think we should be so quick to apologize for a system that results in a woman being fined and subjected to national embarrassment over calling 911 for the wrong reason.
For the sake of the hypothetical, she didn't. If you prefer, subs ute Chili's for McDonald's.
But what I mean is, would the CSR/manager be fined for misusing 911 after having $5 of food stolen?
I dont think you should be so quick to crap on the operators for dealing with an irate woman dialing 3 times to 911 claiming she has an emergency.
Transcript? I cant get the audio here at work.
if they call 3 times for $5 being stolen. Yes, they should be fined.
sounds like a case for small claims court, not for 911.
Why didn't 911 say "This is not an emergency, you should come down to the police station and file a report and here is that number"
Well, I'm certainly not saying they should be fined and subjected to national humiliation. I give them equal culpability to the irate woman, and all that's warranted for any of them is a stern explanation by the proper authorities on how to better approach this situation next time.
Is it unpossible for the dispatchers to redirect her call to a local precinct?
Dammit. You're taking away all of my reasons to post in this thread.
It's foolish to assume that all people are educated as to all of their possible options or avenues of legal recourse. She (rightly) felt she had been robbed, wanted to get the police involved (again, rightly), and dialed 911.
You and I and everyone in this thread may know that McNugget theft is not an emergency, but you're crazy if you think that everyone walking down the street knows offhand the alternate methods for contacting the authorities. For as long as I've been alive it has been presented that 911 = police.
Furthermore, it is also foolish to ignore the racial and socio-economic factors that may be involved. Many of us who live in good neighborhoods can count on calling the police, 911 or local precinct, and having a fairly speedy response. If this was in a neighborhood in which people have become accustomed to slow responses or having their problems ignored (and you're naive as if you don't think it takes cops longer to get to the hood than to the suburbs), I can somewhat understand the frustration that would lead to multiple calls. Especially if the second dispacher hung up on her. No matter how frivolous the complaint, it's not a good feeling to not be taken seriously, and if the 911 system doesn't have a method for politely and efficiently rerouting/addressing non-emergency calls, there's a problem with that system.
But, all that. Let's just laugh at the McNuggets rage instead.
If a person calling 911 says "I have an emergency, I need a police officer right away", then exactly who is the 911 operator that they can determine by phone what is and what isn't an emergency?
If they make the decision that something isn't really an emergency and kick it over to the non-emergency line, then that something really does turn out to be an emergency, then they can pretty much kiss their job goodbye.
It's better to go ahead and request an officer be sent out to err on the side of caution. If at that point the officer deems it to be a reckless use of 911, then he can be the one to make that determination.
It's why 911 operators aren't the ones issuing citations for reckless use of 911.
Well screening the calls is part of the dispatcher's job, that's why they ask questions. Otherwise why not just have an answering machine? If they dispatcher screws up and someone dies because of their mistake, they're toast. Just like doctors, nurses, cops are held accountable.
For as long as I have been alive 911 = emergencies.
I don't know anyone that calls 911 three times for a minor fender bender, even though they need a police officer asap.
Transcript anyone?Furthermore, it is also foolish to ignore the racial and socio-economic factors that may be involved. Many of us who live in good neighborhoods can count on calling the police, 911 or local precinct, and having a fairly speedy response. If this was in a neighborhood in which people have become accustomed to slow responses or having their problems ignored (and you're naive as if you don't think it takes cops longer to get to the hood than to the suburbs), I can somewhat understand the frustration that would lead to multiple calls. Especially if the second dispacher hung up on her. No matter how frivolous the complaint, it's not a good feeling to not be taken seriously, and if the 911 system doesn't have a method for politely and efficiently rerouting/addressing non-emergency calls, there's a problem with that system.
She got a citation that will end up most likely costing her more than the $5, even if her ticket ends up getting dismissed.But, all that. Let's just laugh at the McNuggets rage instead.
what's not funny about that?
They also screen to determine who exactly should be called out on the scene, i.e. fire or ambulance.
And 2 of the 3 dispatchers thought it was worth sending an officer out to cover their asses.
Without a transcript of the conversation(s) though, this is all just speculation, but I'm guessing the way she was talking, she was really making it sound like she had something of an emergency.
Sorry, but I agree with the lady that called, even though she shouldn't have called 911. I'd be completely forgiving about the situation if she had only called once, though. Getting baited and switched would piss me off, too. She's en led to have somebody take her side in an argument like that where she's clearly in the right. That the system exists where police are difficult to contact outside of emergency channels is unfortunate, but she had every right to feel cheated, and whoever made the decision not to give her a refund clearly has no understanding of how business works.
If she decided to legally go after McDonalds just on general principle I'd be on her side. She's already been subject to so much ridicule by the world that she'd probably be better off trying to let it go. People who write misleading headlines and sensationalize stories like this should be ashamed of themselves.
She explained herself pretty calmly, really. She wasn't screaming and she was easy to understand.
MSNBC has the story covered with full video of Joe Scarbrough and his buddies getting a good laugh at her expense, mug shot and all.
Latreasa L. Goodman, 27, made the calls after she tried to get her money back from a Fort Pierce McDonald's and the cashier told her all sales were final. Police released the 911 tapes.
"This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn't have McNuggets, I wouldn't have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don't want one," police quoted her as saying. "This is an emergency."
The cashier suggested she choose something else off the menu of equal value to the McNuggets, and offered the restaurant's cheeseburger called the McDouble.
"She's trying to force me to eat something off the menu and I don't want it," Goodman told 911.
The first dispatcher, a woman, asks if there's a manager there, but listens to Goodman's complaints and says she's sending someone.
The second, male dispatcher tells her he's aware of the incident and "we've got an officer coming out there to talk to you."
Police say Goodman was cited on a misuse of 911 charge. A current phone listing for Goodman couldn't be found.
A McDonald's spokesman said Goodman should have been given a refund, and she's being sent a gift card for a free meal.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,504125,00.htmlok, so basically the 2nd operator didn't just hang up on her. He explained to her that he is aware of the call and that there is already an officer coming.Dispatchers for 911 told police Goodman called the emergency number three times and on each occasion was told an officer was en route.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/mar/...man-calls-911/
It appears that it was the 3rd call that got her the citation.
Just one call to 911 over this situation probably would not have gotten her a ticket and she probably would have avoided the national humiliation.
But she told the operator it was over chicken nuggets.Then she called back, then back for a 3rd time. Common sense brother says THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY
No, she said they were not giving her money back and that this was an emergency.But she told the operator it was over chicken nuggets.
Dude she said she ordered a 10 piece chicken nuggets with a small fry........... That was one of the first words out of her mouth.
I'm not sure what you are talking about.
I think anyone can gather that she called 911 because they weren't giving her a refund......not because they weren't giving her the nuggets.
If you think she called because she wanted an officer to come over and force them to give her the mcnugs, then there's not really much to discuss with you.
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