Forensic Victimology 2nd Edition

1
Forensic Victimology 2nd Edition

• Chapter Three 9-1-1 Emergency Response

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9-1-1 Emergency Response

• Nine-one-one (911) is the number that people in
  the United Stated call to obtain assistance from
  government funded agencies that provide police,
  fire, and emergency medical services.
• It is a number that is reserved for emergencies
  only therefore, it is intended to triage citizen
  requests for immediate rescue from dire
  circumstances.
• 9-1-1 is largely funded by local, state, and
  federal tax revenue.

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History

• The idea of a universal emergency number took
  shape in 1957, when the National Association of
  Fire Chiefs suggested an easy to remember phone
  number to report fires.
• The notion was formalized in 1967, when the
  Presidents Commission on Law Enforcement and
  Administration recommended the establishment of a
  nationwide number for emergencies of all types.

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Enhanced 9-1-1

• E9-1-1 is the improved emergency response system.
  
• It routes each call to the appropriate 9-1-1
  jurisdiction or answering point while
  simultaneously providing the callers location
  and phone number.
• This includes cell phone information.

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Duties

• 9-1-1 operators, sometimes referred to as
  dispatchers, have specific obligations and
  responsibilities to their callers.
• Obligations and responsibilities include
• Taking the call,
• Obtaining caller information quickly,
• Triaging the call,
• Summarizing the call,
• Staying on the line,
• Updating information,
• Avoiding non-pertinent detail, and
• Maintaining professionalism.

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The 9-1-1 Call as Authority and Evidence

• 9-1-1 dispatchers have the power to shape all
  other responding agencies impressions,
  conclusions, and attitudes.
• Dispatchers have an obligation to be mindful that
  words like homicide, suicide, and accident have
  forensic implications and should be avoided when
  possible.
• 9-1-1 calls are recorded by the system and become
  important documentary evidence of statements,
  caller knowledge, the occurrence of background
  events recorded during the call, and timelines.

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The 9-1-1 Call as Authority and Evidence

• Recordings are used by investigators, attorneys,
  and the courts as evidence to inform
  decision-making, implicate suspects and even to
  exonerate the innocent.
• 9-1-1 calls are generally entered into evidence
  under the excited utterance exception to the
  admissibility of hearsay evidence.

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Emergency System Challenges

• There are universal challenges experienced by
  every 9-1-1 emergency response system. The top
  three tend to be
• Personnel
• Budgets
• False alarms

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The Consequences

• Emergency response to victims can be delayed or
  non-existent
• More victims can suffer from more crime, or
  extended episodes of victimization
• Victims can die waiting for a response, or due to
  the negligence of those involved in the response
• 9-1-1 dispatchers can suffer mental health
  consequences that go unrecognized and unattended
  leading to more of the above
• Criminals can become emboldened by reliable
  delays in emergency response
• The public can lose confidence in the emergency
  response system, and vote to defund it, making a
  bad situation worse.