Nov 5, 2009 1:55 pm US/Central
No Discipline For Gary Dispatchers Who Got Trapped
Firefighters Had To Bust Down Door
GARY, Ind. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
A Gary police official said Wednesday there are no plans to discipline operators who found themselves trapped in the radio room at the public safety building, and adjustments are being made to keep such an incident from happening again.
"By no means do we want to put anybody in harm's way," Cmdr. Richard Allen told the Post-Tribune.
The Gary Fire Department eventually broke down the door to let the operators out early Tuesday morning. The door remained propped open Wednesday, its handle and electronic lock broken. Access to the area is still secured behind other electronic locks.
Once the broken door is replaced, Allen said a key to a back door will be made available to operators in case the front lock malfunctions again. Communications equipment kept behind that door will be moved or locked down, he said.
The only reason a key wasn't available Tuesday morning, Allen said, is because a supervisor that would have had a key was off.
Dorita Lee, senior communications operator Monday night, said the electronic lock on the radio room door malfunctioned at shift change, locking seven operators in the room.
Lee said a supervisor hung up on the operators when they called for help. With no key to the back door, Lee said, they called the fire department and asked them to do whatever it took to open the door.
Willie Wallace, president of AFSCME Local 3491, said he was satisfied with the city's response.
Lee said she feared she and her colleagues would be disciplined because they were asked for a written explanation of their role in the incident. Allen said Wednesday those reports are part of the police department's standard procedure.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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