Milwaukee 911 delay: Questions remain despite completed investigation
Milwaukee 911 response delay, fallout after press conference
Two City of Milwaukee 911 call takers resigned following an investigation into the mishandling of a 911 call. But we still don't know basic answers to questions about this case that left a 99-year-old woman waiting hours for help. We were expecting those answers today after a press conference was called, but after two questions the conference was abruptly ended.
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications completed its investigation into the handling of a 911 call and delayed emergency response.
Tony Bueno, the city's emergency call center director, called a news conference to discuss the findings of an investigation into the mishandling of a 911 call. The department said Bueno would provide an overview, discuss personnel actions and performance expectations, and break down steps to reduce something like this happening again – but that didn't happen.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
911 call investigation
The backstory:
The investigation stems from the mishandling of a 911 call in July. A 99-year-old woman, beaten and seriously injured in a home invasion, waited two-and-a-half hours for emergency responders to come help her.
Milwaukee 911 review after delayed response to attack, employee discharged
At least one employee lost their job following a City of Milwaukee investigation into the mishandling of a 911 call, according to documents reviewed by FOX6 News.
A third-party dispatcher called 911 twice because she was worried about the 99-year-old woman. On a second call, the third-party dispatcher played audio where you could hear a man swearing and a woman moaning in pain.
The call takers labeled it a "Priority 3" welfare check, something that’s supposed to get a police response within 15 minutes. But help only came two-and-a-half hours later, when the woman called 911 herself.
While the call itself was misclassified, it is unclear why police dispatchers – who receive the call from the universal call taker – did not send a police response within 15 minutes. Firefighters actually got to the house first after the woman's call, but they stood outside and waited for police to clear the scene before going in to help her.
911 delay: Milwaukee leaders provide update
The Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications provided an update Wednesday after it completed its investigation into the handling of a 911 call and delayed emergency response.
Unanswered questions
Dig deeper:
FOX6 News did not get an answer as to why police dispatchers, who receive the call from the universal call taker, did not send a police response within 15 minutes despite having the ability to elevate the call classification, and it being required.
When FOX6 News tried to ask questions about that – and the investigation as a whole – at the news conference, which Bueno and his department called to discuss the incident. But after two questions, they refused to answer anything more and left the room.
Milwaukee 911 delay, city department completes investigation
The Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications completed its investigation into the handling of a 911 call and delayed emergency response. Director Tony Bueno and staff called a news conference to provide details, but abruptly ended it fielding two questions from reporters.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional information.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Stephanie and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: FOX6 News attended the Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications news conference about the completed investigation and referenced prior coverage of the delay, the investigation and the home invasion.