NENA Official Critical of 'Dr. Phil' Show on 911 Friday, December 5 2008 The syndicated "Dr. Phil" television show will focus on two Florida incidents where a 911 played a critical role, drawing criticism from a NENA official who appeared on the show. The episode will appear Friday, Dec. 12th--check your local listings. The show will feature the Denise Amber Lee kidnapping and murder case, according to Charles Cullen, president of the California chapter of NENA, who attended the taping of the show and participated in the on-air discussions. In a letter to Dr. McGraw, Cullen complained that he was unaware that the 911 incidents, "would be used to indict an entire profession." He continued, "To sensationalize two tragic events and use those events to condemn the thousands of dedicated women and men who work as 9-1-1 dispatchers is irresponsible." He also noted factual errors in some of the shows statistics.
Original Message Source
Download (pdf) Cullen's complaint letter here
my candid answer:
I was not under the impression that the show was an indictment against all protocols & services throughout the country. There are problematic issues that exist in every service that need to be addressed whether minor or major. Simply, when specific problems exist, they need to be solved. Most emergency services operate very smoothly though standardization of procedure and training. We can only encourage this to continue and improve.If you will allow me, Let me redirect some of the accountability to the cell phone providers to allow 'all' numbers to be listed in the 911 databases. This may not apply to enhanced 911 service for location but rather ownership & number verification for the identification of legitimate or 'crank' calls. This would help to identify 'no response' calls from repeat offenders in the abuse of the 911 system. I would suggest that the database for 'pay as you go' clients be included so than no anonymous numbers can exist.
Phillip McGraw is very often focused on a specific issues to raise awareness and create Hollywood sensationalism (and ratings). Although I am NOT a true fan of his show, I will admit that if the purpose of raising public awareness and co-operation is served even if no one agrees with the method. One must carefully read between the lines to reveal the truth in any investigation.
The emergency response network is not perfect but it is all we have. Let us direct our frustration and anger toward specific issues and not lose sight of our overall mandate of public safety and protection.
How secure is public safety? I truely believe that the system works very well due to the dedication, skills and human factors of all the operators, responders and participants. Any improvement would be welcomed to reduce stress and render a more efficient service. I salute you all for your continued participation.
Additional discussion and comments are welcomed and will be reviewed before being posted (censoring for language or inflammatory litigation only).
