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[Dram]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57517243-504083/family-sues-dallas-cops-city-after-911-caller-deanna-cook-is-found-dead/

The family of Deanna Cook, a woman who was murdered after placing a call to 911, has sued the city of Dallas and the police department, CBS DFW reports.

The lawsuit alleges that responding officers made two stops on their way to Cook's home in order to check out a burglar alarm and make a purchase at a 7-Eleven. It claims that officers arrived nearly 50 minutes after Cooke first dialed 911, screaming for help.

Furthermore, the suit alleges officers soon left Cook's residence after they knocked on her door and were unable to find her. The lawsuit faults the officers, saying that they "did not go around to the rear of Ms. Cook's residence, did not peak through all of Ms. Cook's windows.. and never attempted to forcibly gain entrance into her home."

It was not until two days later that action was taken by Cook's mother, sister and her two daughters, who became concerned when she did not show up for church. Cook's family called 911 to report her missing and was reportedly asked if they "had contacted the jails and local hospitals."

After eventually kicking down a patio door to Cook's home, her family discovered her body floating in a bathtub, where police believe she was murdered by her husband.

The case has brought scrutiny to Dallas' 911 system. The lawsuit claims that Cook's call was not prioritized and went to a holding queue, and that once it was answered, a 911 operator took 10 minutes to file a dispatch request. Additionally, eleven minutes into the call, the operator disconnected the call and tried to call back only to receive Ms. Cook's voice mail. The lawsuit faults the operators for never following up to ensure that police had been immediately dispatched to Cook's address.

The lawsuit then goes further, blaming the city for an understaffed 911 call center. According to the suit, only 64 of 90 positions were filled at the time of Cook's death.

The filing also alleges discrimination.

"Your race does play a role, your gender does play a role. Would they have stopped at 7-Eleven if it had been someone in Highland Park?," asked Cook's sister.

"Ms. Cook, in other words, was a victim of her race, the nature of her call, the demographic of her south Dallas neighborhood," she said.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-08-22/news/33326595_1_disturbance-dallas-police-department-operator

Police have refused to release the 911 transcript, but the Dallas Morning News reports that “Deanna Cook was heard choking, gurgling . . . screaming ‘Delvecchio, why are you doing this?’"

Patrick had multiple past arrests for allegedly assaulting Cook and police had responded to the address before.

Police say the seriousness of the incident was not relayed to them by the 911 dispatcher. Sources told KHOU-TV that “the operator never relays that Cook is being attacked,” only that police were to report to a disturbance.

But the 911 operator, who hasn’t been identified, said she didn’t feel like she knew what was going on at the house.

“I can say that it's obvious that there was an active disturbance taking place, the screaming and things like that, so I can't say that I knew what was going on, other than there was a disturbance,” she told the Dallas Morning News.

In a statement, the Dallas Police Department said it was "seeking to determine if the nature of the [911] call was sufficiently communicated...to the responding officers.”

Lawsuit http://cbsdallas.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/cook-vs-city-of-dallas.pdf

 

[Meier]

Awful story. Condolences to her family for their loss.. sounds at first blush like they have a real case.

 

[Phoenix]

I don't understand. The 911 call asked for help, but they responded like it was a burglar alarm? Is that what I just read?

 

[Darklord]

I don't understand. The 911 call asked for help, but they responded like it was a burglar alarm? Is that what I just read?

And just knocked on the door then left. Really high quality police work there.

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

I'm going to go there and say it. While you should always call 911, you should never depend on it to save your life from a criminal act.

 

[gdt]

I don't think it has to do with race, but more that someone in the dispatch office majorly fucked up and didn't prioritize the call correctly. There's no fucking way cops would stop at 7-11 if they knew that someone was dying in their home.

 

[Cameron122]

Terrible. A lot of horrible things coming from my city

 

[Phoenix]

And just knocked on the door then left. Really high quality police work there.

Exactly. If that really is the disposition of the case that is grounds for criminal negligence on the part of the police department.

 

[reaver18]

I'm going to go there and say it. While you should always call 911, you should never depend on it to save your life from a criminal act.

Haha. Good one.

So she should have busted out her karate moves and saved herself right?

 

[Dude Abides]

Unfortunately cops can be as negligent as they want and there's nothing illegal about it.

 

[Cousteau]

A policeman killed her.

The End.

 

[Horse Armour]

Disgusting. This would never have happened in England.

 

[Sir Abacus]

Warren v. District of Columbia, "police do not have a duty to provide police services to individuals, even if a dispatcher promises help to be on the way, except when police develop a special duty to particular individuals.".

 

[demon]

Horrible story.

Am I the only one that thought the title said Dane Cook is dead at first glance?

 

[SUPREME1]

F

Spoiler

EAR

DA POLICE

 

[AlexMogil]

I'm going to go there and say it. While you should always call 911, you should never depend on it to save your life from a criminal act.

Well golly Santa what should this person have done in this case?

I seriously cannot think of a single solitary item that would have stopped this tragedy. Can you of all people give me a hint and possibly steer this into the direction you always fucking steer this shit into so we can debate some 200 year old sentence?

 

[Zoe]

I don't think it has to do with race, but more that someone in the dispatch office majorly fucked up and didn't prioritize the call correctly. There's no fucking way cops would stop at 7-11 if they knew that someone was dying in their home.

It's tough to blame race because they had no way of knowing her race, but there probably is a bias against the general area due to the demographics which factor in more than just race.

I can't remember if I lived in East or South Dallas when my parents first moved to Texas, but it apparently became a real shithole.

 

[revolverjgw]

Horrible story.

Am I the only one that thought the title said Dane Cook is dead at first glance?

I did too, and I felt a twinge of... happiness. I know for sure that I'm a bad person now.

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

Well golly Santa what should this person have done in this case?

I seriously cannot think of a single solitary item that would have stopped this tragedy. Can you of all people give me a hint and possibly steer this into the direction you always fucking steer this shit into so we can debate some 200 year old sentence?

Missing the point entirely. They have no legal duty or responsibility to save you and because of response time (not of their fault) generally can't to a house during the commission of a crime before a person is hurt.

Haha. Good one.

So she should have busted out her karate moves and saved herself right?

Anything besides hoping the cops get there in time.

 

[MWS Natural]

It's tough to blame race because they had no way of knowing her race, but there probably is a bias against the general area due to the demographics which factor in more than just race.

I can't remember if I lived in East or South Dallas when my parents first moved to Texas, but it apparently became a real shithole.

Not disagreeing with you but many times you can tell race from a person's voice. Anyone who has ever lived in a poor neighborhood knows 911 is a fucking joke.

 

[TommyT]

Not surprising something like this happened here given what's been going on lately between DPD and those in more ethnic neighborhoods*.

I do know that 911 calls over the recent years have had their value diminished. Insomuch that cities are charging those that call and result in an actual non-emergency which can sometimes jade those being dispatched by the call to take their time. Whether that is the case here or it's something far more simple (lazy police for example) is undetermined, but could be relevant.


edit: *figured I would mention I have no idea what neighborhood she was in. However the tensions between certain areas and the DPD have been high.

 

[speedline]

Not disagreeing with you but many times you can tell race from a person's voice. Anyone who has ever lived in a poor neighborhood knows 911 is a fucking joke.

I don't see where it says the race of the cops or dispatch.

 

[Flatline]

The lawsuit alleges that responding officers made two stops on their way to Cook's home in order to check out a burglar alarm and make a purchase at a 7-Eleven. It claims that officers arrived nearly 50 minutes after Cooke first dialed 911, screaming for help.

Absolutely disgusting.

 

[Cat Party]

Is there text from the 911 call? Would be interesting to see how the situation was described. This is just a report on the allegations of the lawsuit.

 

[Blergmeister]

Anything besides hoping the cops get there in time.

This is getting awfully close to victim blaming. It's her fault that she was murdered by her husband because she didn't defend herself. Even your initial response, to not depend on 911 for defense, easily leads to the suggestion that she just called the cops and then just sat around because she thought that was all she had to do.

I would say that it is best to not make these kinds of comments until further information is available.

 

[strata8]

Missing the point entirely. They have no legal duty or responsibility to save you and because of response time (not of their fault) generally can't to a house during the commission of a crime before a person is hurt.

It's unlikely that they would've made it to her house before she got hurt. But before her death? Easily possible.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I'm going to go there and say it. While you should always call 911, you should never depend on it to save your life from a criminal act.

This post is an indictment of America's criminal justice system.

 

[pseudomyxoma]

I guess Flavor Flav was right, 911 really is a joke

 

[Arthrus]

Anything besides hoping the cops get there in time.

You have no information to back up your suggestion that she was depending entirely on 911.

It can be presumed that she did more than just wait to die while the police were on their way. Maybe she couldn't get out of the house and tried to barricade herself in the bathroom. Maybe she hid in a closet. You don't know enough to suggest that she should have done anything differently.

EDIT: Looks like I'm slow...

 

[LaserBuddha]

This is getting awfully close to victim blaming. It's her fault that she was murdered by her husband because she didn't defend herself. Even your initial response, to not depend on 911 for defense, easily leads to the suggestion that she just called the cops and then just sat around because she thought that was all she had to do.

I would say that it is best to not make these kinds of comments until further information is available.

There is no hint of victim blaming here at all. He is pointing out, with this story serving as an example, that when you call 911 you should act under the assumption that they won't get there soon enough to save you. No one knows what happened after she called and no one has suggested that she didn't do enough to save her own life.

 

[Ala Alba]

Additionally, eleven minutes into the call, the operator disconnected the call and tried to call back only to receive Ms. Cook's voice mail.

11 minutes into the call? That seems like one long phone call for a life-threatening emergency.

Furthermore, had the victim been screaming for help for the entire 11 minutes?

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

This is getting awfully close to victim blaming. It's her fault that she was murdered by her husband because she didn't defend herself. Even your initial response, to not depend on 911 for defense, easily leads to the suggestion that she just called the cops and then just sat around because she thought that was all she had to do.

I would say that it is best to not make these kinds of comments until further information is available.

No, it's not at all, it's the reality of the situation, it's unfortunate, but that's what it is. I'm not saying she could have done anything. I mean people are generally taught to call and wait for the police. It's the natural reaction, unfortunately it's not a dependable one or one where the other end is held responsible.

It's unlikely that they would've made it to her house before she got hurt. But before her death? Easily possible.

That is a valid point, but for all we know death could have been inevitable. I'm merely speaking to the legal responsibilities (or lack of) by the police.

 

[Beerman462]

Its more of a suggestion really...

 

[Cat Party]

11 minutes into the call? That seems like one long phone call for a life-threatening emergency.

That's kind of what I was getting at above. What did the actual call say?

When people see reports of lawsuits, they need to understand they are reading allegations, not evidence.

 

[demon]

F

Spoiler

IND

DA POLICE

fixed

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

That's kind of what I was getting at above. What did the actual call say?

When people see reports of lawsuits, they need to understand they are reading allegations, not evidence.

Anyone feel like digging around the Dallas courts website for the complaint?

 

[Omegasquash]

This isn't a case of racism from what I've read, but it is a case of officers not doing their job if they did in fact stop off at 7-Eleven. The burglar alarm is a grey area only in the case that it should have been deprioritized given the (I think) known emergency in the 911 call.

 

[akira28]

I'm going to go there and say it. While you should always call 911, you should never depend on it to save your life from a criminal act.

This goes for police in general i think. Call for help? If you think it will help. But save your own life if you want to live.

This does not apply to firefighters or medical assistance.

 

[GQman2121]

The transcripts from the 911 call will make or break their case. Tragic situation regardless.

 

[WascallyWabbit]

I work out of a small office building in Plano (relatively affluent part of the D/FW metroplex) and sometimes people forget to turn off the alarm when they're coming into work.

Within 20 minutes a cop will show up.

This is shameful

 

[TheOMan]

I don't understand. The 911 call asked for help, but they responded like it was a burglar alarm? Is that what I just read?

Not quite...on the way to her house, they went to another house that had a burglar alarm triggered and then they went to Sev, presumably for some Slurpees and bubblegum.

 

[tmarques]

I'm going to go there and say it. While you should always call 911, you should never depend on it to save your life from a criminal act.

 

[ultrazilla]

I really don't like the mentality of "it's someone else's fault but the person/party actually responsible".

This is a terrible story no doubt. However, the ultimate "blame" here is on her husband, NOT THE POLICE.

Depending on the police to protect your life is not good at all, I think we all can agree on that. People need to protect themselves FIRST.

I hope the husband gets what's coming to him(if he indeed did this).

 

[True Underdog]

I can't remember if I lived in East or South Dallas when my parents first moved to Texas, but it apparently became a real shithole.

The southern part of Dallas ("South Dallas" is usually synonymous with a rough part of town) has its gems but both of these areas are pretty rough for the most part. My last job had me working in South Oak Cliff and my current job has me in an office in East Dallas.

 

[xbhaskarx]

Horrible story, hope the family wins the lawsuit, the police need to be held accountable.

 

[Dram]

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-08-22/news/33326595_1_disturbance-dallas-police-department-operator

Police have refused to release the 911 transcript, but the Dallas Morning News reports that “Deanna Cook was heard choking, gurgling . . . screaming ‘Delvecchio, why are you doing this?’"

Patrick had multiple past arrests for allegedly assaulting Cook and police had responded to the address before.

Police say the seriousness of the incident was not relayed to them by the 911 dispatcher. Sources told KHOU-TV that “the operator never relays that Cook is being attacked,” only that police were to report to a disturbance.

But the 911 operator, who hasn’t been identified, said she didn’t feel like she knew what was going on at the house.

“I can say that it's obvious that there was an active disturbance taking place, the screaming and things like that, so I can't say that I knew what was going on, other than there was a disturbance,” she told the Dallas Morning News.

In a statement, the Dallas Police Department said it was "seeking to determine if the nature of the [911] call was sufficiently communicated...to the responding officers.”

 

[Beerman462]

http://www.arlingtontx.gov/dispatch_services/911info.html

I don't know if Dallas has a similar system, but this makes sense.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-08-22/news/33326595_1_disturbance-dallas-police-department-operator

Fucked

 

[TheOMan]

It's tough to blame race because they had no way of knowing her race, but there probably is a bias against the general area due to the demographics which factor in more than just race.

I can't remember if I lived in East or South Dallas when my parents first moved to Texas, but it apparently became a real shithole.

Guess they knew her race after all, eh?

Not saying that was a factor, but it sure seems like they knew of the people they were going to see considering they had been there numerous times before.

I can definitely see them dragging their feet a bit if this has been going on for a while.

 

[Akainu]

Yeah nothing was going to save this woman. Though the urgency of the call sounds like it wasn't conveyed well.

 

[theignoramus]

Haha. Good one.

So she should have busted out her karate moves and saved herself right?

he's implying she should have been strapped. an asshole thing to say, but it's expected from that dude.