Lincoln Park 911 Operator Denies Service Over Swear Words

Posted by David at 8 May, 2009, 7:00 am

I have to be honest… I’m a little torn over this story.

As the news report indicates, 17-year old Adrianne Ledesma was denied EMS Service when she dialed 911 by Lincoln Park Police Seargent Robert McFarlan because she used profanity. When Ledesma chose to run to the police station for help, she was arrested by McFarlan for abusing the 911 system.

I’m not going to argue that McFarlan was right or justified in his behaviour in any way shape or form. He should have maintained his professionalism regardless of what was being said to him over the phone, but this is not as simple as it first appears to be.

To understand my point, here is the transcription of the initial call:

The Initial Call

(phone ringing)

Ledesma: What the fuck?

(the ringing sound ends as she says the profanity)

McFarlan: 911

Ledesma: I need an ambulance at (Address) Hartwick

McFarlan: Well, OK, first of all you don’t need to swear over 9-1-1…

Ledesma: Okay

McFarlan: …and slow down.

Ledesma: Send me a fucking ambulance!

(sound of the caller hanging up on their end)

Yes, you read that last line correctly. I do not believe McFarlan hung up on Ledesma first. The echo sound you hear is extremely similar to the sound of the caller calling into the recording system hanging up. Having worked in a Communications Center for 4-5 years, and having listened to hundreds if not thousands of hours of phone recordings for quality assurance and investigations, the sound struck me clear as day.

I don’t see anything wrong with what McFarlan has done or said up to this point. I do see that Ledesma is acting irrationally and without regard for either the instructions she is being provided or the well being of her father. Her actions would be considered rude and intolerable under any other circumstances.

Now as I said before, McFarlan was absolutely wrong in his interactions on the second call. Of course the third call, where Ledesma states “I just want to know what’s your name because your getting sued”, is the classic line we have all at one time or another faced from callers or patients who feel that we have somehow victimized them when in fact their situations are usually the result of their own actions. To be honest I don’t see much of a difference here between them and Ledesma.

As I said before and feel the need to say again, McFarlan was clearly in the wrong with how he handled the entirety of the situation. Yet Ledesma should not be absolved of fault for the situation. Had she simply followed the instructions given to her on the initial call, the outcome in all likelihood would have been very different.

It is important to note that Sgt. McFarlan has had a career of meritous service, has never had a disciplinary action until this incident, and was suspended without pay for two weeks and sent for training after this incident.

The biggest 911 fail of all time (inquisitr.com)
911 police officer refuses to help girl who calls about her dying father because she said the F word before the call was answered (boingboing.net)

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YouSuck

This is a terrible article. Quit trying to be an apologist and have a little empathy. The trained 911 operator should have been able to dispatch an ambulance when it was first requested. Instead the trained, but not following his training, police officer got his ego in the way. He even arrested her for a bogus charge.

Stop with the groupthink for a minute and consider the situation. The trained police officer could have easily handled it. But you think that is somehow dismissed because of a 17 year old girl whose father is having a seizure in front of her eyes?
--
Also: "I’m not going to argue that McFarlan was right or justified in his behaviour in any way shape or form. "

(a few lines later) "I don’t see anything wrong with what McFarlan has done or said up to this point."

That would be a form. You are making an argument that he wasn't wholly in the wrong. You're no more honest than the officer here.

Dave Konig

@ YouSuck, Actually if you read what I wrote, I point out exactly where he went wrong while being faced with an irrational person who has completely disregarded his instruction.

Allowing her actions to go uncriticized is exactly what has led us to the sub-par state we are in. We are too easily swayed to place the entire blame onto the side of authority whether it is deserving or not.

In this case, her irrationality and disregard for instruction is also to blame for the delay. While some, such as you may argue the intangible "What do you expect from someone witnessing their father have a seizure?", I would answer I expect them to have enough common sense to call 911, listen to the instructions and do as they are told, or not dial 911 to begin with.

YouSuck

There is nothing wrong with swearing or being upset at your father having a seizure.The trained police officer had both the responsibility and training to calm the situation. Instead he chose to escalate it, in the first call. I stand by my comments and assessment.

But calling her emotional state intangible? No, I think from the calls and her going to the police station shows enough that we can get a pretty decent grasp. You need some empathy.

YouSuck

Swearing should not have even registered on his radar once he heard the word ambulance.

Dave Konig

@ YouSuck, The trained police officer had both the responsibility and training to calm the situation.

Yes he did. He also did as he was trained and she continued to act irrationally and hung up on him. Obviously you have either not listened to the beginning of the call where he tells her she doesn't "need to swear and to slow down". How does swearing and talking too fast ensure her father to get an ambulance? Sure he could have just taken the address he thought he heard, but what if it was the wrong one? Then who is to blame? Still the officer? No, I think not.

Does this mean that the officer is without fault? Absolutely not. In fact I clearly state that the officer was absolutely wrong in his interactions during the second call. He was wrong for trying to arrest her at the police station, and in the entirety of the situation he is at fault.

However, her irrationality and failure to follow instructions is something that SHE needs to be held accountable for irregardless of her emotional state or the fact that someone was in the wrong in a greater capacity than she was.

YouSuck

Actually I listened quite well. I also listened a video where she said in the future she would be more calm. (Obviously she learned her lesson.) I also read everywhere else where they show that the officer hung up every time.

You can keep making assumptions about me as you please, but the simple fact is your article contradicts itself, something you don't really address. You really do think he was in the right for at least part of the time, something you refute in your intro.

But the fact of the matter is whatever infraction this girl might have committed by swearing, it was nothing compared to the actions of the police officer. I'm not exactly sure why it is so hard for you to see, but I obviously have my theories.

I'm done here. You can have the last word, and you can keep being the apologist. At least in the comments people can see what you really are after, protecting some buddies.

Dave Konig

@ YouSuck,

My article does not contradict itself. It goes to highlight the importance of holding those who call 911 but do not adhere to the instructions accountable for their actions or lack thereof. So the girl learned her lesson... but why did she learn that lesson? Was it because someone told her she was wrong, or because she was held accountable for her actions? I tend to think it was the latter.

Allow me to assure you I am not "protecting some buddies". Besides the fact that it should be noted that this occurred back in May, it also occurred in Michigan. Unlike the incident in Oklahoma which involved an OHP Trooper with a checkered past and still hasn't been resolved, the officer in this story has a record of meritorious service, the Police Chief addressed the issue right away with a suspension and retraining, and there was an apology issued.

Finally, as for making assumptions about you, well let's be honest... just by your signed in user name of YouSuck assumptions have been made by you about me. If I was devoid of empathy I would not have spent 15 years of my life helping those who were unable to help themselves. Just because I hold her accountable for her failure to be rational and do as instructed does not mean I'm not empathetic to her situation, but rather that I know the price that people who depend on others with the same irrationality and non-compliance to instructions pay.

Often it is with their lives and those are cases when you cannot so easily blame a person on the other end of a phone.

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