9-1-1 Caller, Volume 3, Number 4, September/October 1991 Page: INSIDE FRONT COVER
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Texas State Publications and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
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Call-Handling
Man Arrested for Abusing 9-1-1
Emergency Operator
By Robert SliderEarly this
morning Paris po-
lice arrested the first
person in Lamar
County to be
charged with har-
assment of a 9-1-1
operator.
Charged under one of the newest
additions to the Texas Penal Code, a 27-
year-old Paris man became the first
person in Lamar County to face crimi-
nal prosecution in connection with use
of the recently implemented emergency
response system, police said.
The suspect remained in the Paris
Municipal Jail Thursday moving, where
he awaited transfer to the Lamar County
Courthouse to be arraigned on the charge.
Police said he was also charged with
public intoxication.
The harassment of a 9-1-1 operator
is considered a Class A misdemeanor bythe Texas judicial system and could
bring up to a year in county jail, a $2000
fine or both.
Police spokesman Sgt. Bob Hundley
was quick to note the importance of the
early morning arrest, hoping to deter
similar actions of others in the area.
"Any time we receive abusive calls
on 9-1-1 we are going to do everything
we can to get charges filed," he said
"because the service is just too impor-
tant to tie up with these types of mat-
ters."
According to Hundley, the suspect
was apprehended shortly before 1 a.m.
at a restaurant in the 2800 block of North
Main Street. It was from a pay tele-
phone in Bill's Sunriser that the last of
three allegedly abusive calls was made
to 9-1-1 operators.
According to Hundley, the caller
cursed and threatened the dispatchers.
Though most of the language recordedon the 9-1-1 system was patently offen-
sive, Hundley said the caller's final
words were "Youjerks may think this is
a joke, but you better get with the pro-
gram."
The calls began at 12:10 a.m., coming
first from a pay phone in the 200 block
of North main Street. While officers
sped to that location, a second call came
from another pay phone in the 1500
block of North Main Street.
Apparently a witness or witnesses
to at least one of the telephone calls led
to the arrest of the suspect at the all-night
restaurant, Hundley said.
Though this is the first time charges
have been filed against someone accused
of abusing the 9-1-1 system, it was not
the first abuse which occurred.
Reprinted with permission from
the Paris News.Efficiency, Continuedfrom page 1
course. Separate classes will be held for
ANI and ALI systems, and only one type
of equipment will be taught per class.
Most instruction will take place at
WCTCOG, with additional equipment
training done at the PSAP site.
Call-takers must pass a written exam
at the end of the course and satisfactorily
complete the CPR portion of instruc-
tion. Call-takers will not be "certified"
in CPR by WCTCOG (issued a certifica-
tion card), but they may be certified if
their agency wishes through WCTCOG's
assurance to a certifying agency of satis-
factory course completion by a qualified
instructor.
WCTCOG's curriculum has beenapproved for Texas Commission on Law
Enforcement Officer Standards and Edu-
cation credit and will be open to all
regional law enforcement officers, both
as a means of providing instruction about
a new regional system and as a way of
cross-training agency personnel so that
good call-takers will always be available
to answer in emergency situations when
additional help is required.
A caller to the WCTCOG 9-1-1
Emergency Communications System in
1992 may expect to have all information
verified quickly and to be in touch with
the appropriate agency. If the caller is
unable to communicate with the call-
taker, he will know that the call-takerhas sent help (ANI/ALI) or is using all
available resources to trace the call (ANI)
in order to send appropriate help. A
caller to 9-1-1 may also expect to be told
to turn on his porch light (if it is night),
to send someone outside the house to
help direct emergency personnel, and to
lock up pets so that emergency person-
nel can quickly and safely reach the
person(s) needing assistance.
Whatever the caller's emergency
situation, he may expect to be answered
by a 9-1-1 call-taker who is prepared,
and who communicates professionally.2 9-1-1 Caller
;- -
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Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas. Advisory Commission on State Emergency Communications. 9-1-1 Caller, Volume 3, Number 4, September/October 1991, periodical, September 1991; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1203743/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.