A press release from the district attorney's office reads that Coweta Circuit Superior Court Chief Judge Allen Keeble signed an order last week directing the clerk of court to summon the jurors.
The judge's order came after District 3 Commissioner Ashley Hendrix requested an investigation and the investigation was approved by a majority of the superior court judges of the circuit. The order also directed Judge Dennis Blackmon to preside over the special grand jury's proceedings.
Hendrix requested the investigation following the June death of a Temple man. When responding to the emergency call, a 911 dispatcher sent an ambulance to the wrong address.
Fred Langley, 73, of Temple, fell in his driveway June 28 and died from diabetic shock. His wife, Reba, called 911 at 2:30 p.m. that day, telling emergency dispatchers to send responders to their house on Kathy Lane in Temple. Instead, responders went to Kathy Lane in Carrollton, about nine miles away, before realizing the mistake.
Commission Chairman Bill Chappell has called the mixup "pure human error," but Hendrix disagrees.
"I beg to differ," Hendrix said in July. "We have a system that was recently updated. I voted against it, and I said at the meeting when we voted that it was going to cost someone his life."
Hendrix said she voted against the computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) system after investigating a similar system in Coweta County.
"They got rid of their system," Hendrix told the Times-Georgian in July. "At the time I talked with them, Carroll County took more calls than Coweta. And Coweta got rid of their system because of errors and dropped calls.
Chappell said he disagrees with Hendrix, saying she didn't have all the facts.
"Commissioner Hendrix spoke without knowledge or facts, and she has created severe problems for the county government," the county's top official said.
The dispatcher who handled the call was terminated, and Chappell said there is "no room for errors like this."
Daley, E-911 Director Trisha Orr and shift supervisor DJ Perkins said the dispatcher did not ask the right questions of Langley during the call.
In all dispatchers' employee manuals, Orr said, there is a list of questions to ask of callers. Orr said it has always been a part of dispatchers' training and standard operating procedure for the call center.
First, dispatchers are trained to ask for the address of where the emergency is.
Second, the dispatcher is supposed to ask for or verify a cross street, a road that is near to the emergency address. For instance, the cross street for Kathy Lane in Temple is Bar J Road. In Carrollton, it's Ho Lynn Trail. This is where the error occurred, Orr said, as this verification was not obtained by the dispatcher.
Perkins, the shift supervisor on June 28, said the dispatcher should have asked immediately what road Kathy Lane is "off of."
"[The dispatcher] confirmed the address," he said. "And then, automatically, the next question is, 'What's that run off of?' If the system automatically gives you a cross street, then you still verify it."
In the 911 call recording on June 28 provided to the Times-Georgian, Reba Langley can be heard stating she needed an ambulance to 60 Kathy Lane, Temple, Ga.
The dispatcher then sent responders to 60 Kathy Lane "off Ho Lynn Trail," two streets in Carrollton.
The Board of Commissioners approved the $150,000 purchase of the system in 2010, after first hearing from Orr in October 2009.
"The computer system does not dispatch," Chappell said in July. "People dispatch. The CAD system is very effective and much more accurate than what we had. The mapping is updated and accurate. I am very proud of this operation.
Both Hendrix and county attorney Cynthia Daley say they are looking forward to the grand jury and its findings.
"This will give us an impartial body to investigate and give an impartial recommendation to the Board of Commissioners," Hendrix said. "The 911 system is the vital hub of all our public safety. The citizens on the grand jury will decide what's best for the citizens of Carroll County. It will remove the politics and all the 'he-said, she-said' conversation."
Daley said she, too, is looking forward to the grand jury.
"We're welcoming and looking forward to it because we feel it will substantiate our claim that it was human error," she said.
The grand jury will hear testimony from Hendrix, Chappell and Daley in its proceedings. Afterward, the jury will have the power to summon additional witnesses, examine documents and inspect any facilities it deems necessary to complete its investigation.
At the end of the investigation, the jury will issue a report setting forth its findings and making recommendations it finds appropriate, the release states.
The special grand jury will be a purely investigative body and will have no authority to hand down criminal indictments.
Post a Comment