Houston 911 operator hung up on 'thousands' of calls, including report of robbery
A 911 operator in Houston has been charged with two counts of interference with an emergency telephone call after hanging up on "thousands" of calls, The Associated Press reported.
Crenshanda Williams' supervisors first started to suspect something was awry when they noticed an unusually high number of Williams' calls lasted 20 seconds or less. A further investigation of the call log uncovered that Williams had disconnected thousands of calls between October 2015 and March 2016, Tribune Media Wire reported.
In one instance, a recording captured Williams telling a caller, "Ain't nobody got time for this. For real." Another time, a person was fatally shot after Williams hung up on a caller reporting a robbery:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
... [A]n operator — identified as Williams — is heard answering "Houston 911, do you need medical, police or fire?"When the male caller responded, "This is a robbery," Williams is heard sighing before hanging up, according to court documents.Investigators tracked down the robbery/shooting caller, who confirmed someone hung up the phone the first time he called in, frustrating him, and he had to call back a second time. By the time police arrived, a person was dead. [Tribune Media Wire]
The Houston Emergency Center fired Williams in August. She was charged Oct. 5, and later released on bond. If convicted, Williams could face up to two years in jail and an $8,000 fine.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is the ceasefire in Gaza really working?Today's Big Question Neither Israel and Hamas has an interest in a full return to hostilities but ‘brutally simple arithmetic’ in region may scupper peace plan long-term
-
Are boomers the real phone addicts?In The Spotlight There’s an ‘explosion in screentime’ among older people – and they’re more vulnerable to misinformation
-
West End Girl: a ‘tremendously touching’ break-up albumThe Week Recommends Lily Allen’s unfiltered new work is ‘littered with relatable moments’
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read