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Milwaukee 911 delay: City committee holds closed door session
For two hours, Milwaukee city committee members met with department heads and attorneys to talk outside of public view about a delayed 911 response for a 99-year-old woman beaten in her home.
MILWAUKEE - For two hours, city committee members met with department heads and attorneys to talk outside public view about a delayed 911 response to a 99-year-old woman beaten in her home this summer. When the doors finally opened, those involved declined to comment; one alderman said, ‘Fight Club,’ referring to the 1999 movie starring Brad Pitt, and the rule you don’t talk about fight club.
Public Safety & Health Committee meeting
What they're saying:
"I would gently, respectfully, push back and say the facts of what happened, would not be — there would be no need to go to closed session to hear the facts," said Ald. Peter Burgelis, to city attorney Evan Goyke, prior to going into closed session Friday morning.
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"As your legal counsel, I am asking, I am asking, I am suggesting," Goyke replied, "I believe that this committee should hear from your counsel in closed session, prior to that communication file being heard."
Public Safety & Health Committee meeting
The Public Safety & Health Committee had called department heads for the Department of Emergency Communications, Milwaukee Police and Fire Departments, and Fire and Police Commission to discuss – in public – what happened that morning in late July.
"There’s a lot to discuss here," said committee chair Scott Spiker, "However, I've been advised by the city attorney as to certain parameters of what we should discuss, in public."
Woman attacked
The backstory:
A woman, named Shirley, suffered severe and life-altering injuries after prosecutors say a drunk man broke into her home in the early hours of July 27 and beat her. Emergency dispatchers misclassified initial 911 calls, that only brought a response nearly three hours later, after Shirley crawled to her phone and called for help.
Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications 911 dispatch center
"They want to know when they call, that help is on the way," said Spiker.
But any discussion in public about what happened, wasn’t going to happen. Spiker and Alderwoman Sharlen Moore voted in favor to go into closed session, with Burgelis abstaining, on Goyke’s advice.
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Milwaukee 911 delay, victim's attorney considering lawsuit
An attorney for a 99-year-old woman severely beaten by a drunk man who broke into her Milwaukee home says the previously fiercely independent woman was nearly beaten to death, and he isn’t ruling out lawsuits over the mishandling of 911 calls that left the woman waiting for hours for help.
Lawsuit expected
What we know:
At a press conference last week, Shirley’s attorney – Chris MacGillis – signaled his intent to pursue a lawsuit against the city.
"As such, that puts us in a litigation posture," said Goyke.
Messages to MacGillis weren’t returned.
Last month, the Department of Emergency Communications said its investigation into the matter was complete; however, records related to that investigation have not yet been released.
The Source: FOX6 produced this story from prior reporting, which includes information from Milwaukee police and the Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications.