Milwaukee 911 investigation, trends emerge from anonymous employees

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Common Council is on its August recess, but the investigation into the mishandling of a 911 call last month may end that break early.

Ald. Scott Spiker chairs the city's Public Safety & Health Committee. On Wednesday, he said he'd already introduced a communication file that will require leadership from the city's police, fire and emergency communication departments to come before the committee to explain what happened and why.

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99-year-old woman beaten

The backstory:

On the morning of July 27, a third-party answering service called 911 on behalf of a 99-year-old woman they thought was in danger. The third-party employee first told the city's universal call taker they believed the situation was a domestic call.

Calling back a second time just minutes later, the third-party service patched in audio in which a man can be heard threatening a woman, yelling, "Shut the [expletive] up! I'm gonna beat the [expletive] out of you!"

While the call takers told the third-party employee that police were on it, they didn't arrive until more than two-and-a-half hours later – once the woman dialed 911 herself.

"I've been attacked. I need help," the victim said after calling 911.

Accountability and investigation

What they're saying:

Spiker touted improvements the Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications, or DEC, has made since it restructured in February 2025.

"There were horrible staffing issues before DEC was stood up, so they've improved tremendously in terms of keeping staff, in terms of their longevity, in terms of the number of staff, the number of call takers and dispatchers we have compared to what we used to have," Spiker said. "So, all in all, the change seems to have made a difference, but there's still issues being worked out by this department it seems either on the personnel level or again on the policies and procedures."

Before the introduction of a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, police and fire dispatchers worked separately. They often rerouted calls to one another, slowing down the response time.

Spiker said the city needs to know what went wrong here and why.

"I've probably asked 100 people, played the audio for them and said, 'Is there any doubt in your mind? I know you're not having the training.' Maybe you or me, if we took a call like that, we'd have a moment of hesitation if we don't hear these calls regularly," Spiker said. "The folks in the center are trained professionals. They deal with these difficult situations all the time. For them to hear that and not pull the level for help, that just boggles the mind."

Spiker told FOX6 News he'd been in touch with Tony Bueno, director of the DEC, earlier Wednesday. Spiker said Bueno told him the two call takers that were placed on leave as part of the internal investigation have not been interviewed yet, which is in line with the department's policy that they be given 10 days before sitting down for an interview.

Bueno did not immediately respond to FOX6's request for an update on the investigation, as well as comments on issues shared with FOX6 News by nine current and former dispatch employees.

Trends emerge from anonymous employees

Big picture view:

Three trends have emerged from those who have spoken to FOX6. We've granted anonymity to these sources out of concern for their jobs.

The first involves the department's standard operating instructions, which help call takers classify the calls that come in. The scale is rated zero through nine, with zero being the most serious call in need of an immediate response. Those speaking with FOX6 said there is too much gray area – leaving call takers, an entry-level position at the department, to make judgment calls on what sort of police, fire and medical response may be needed.

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Second, several current and former employees said the training call takers are taking as part of their onboarding is too often led by people who just completed that training themselves. Bueno told FOX6 the call taker position undergoes "rigorous" eight to 10 weeks of training in an interview last week. The sources said they felt the need for more experienced employees to lead this effort.

Lastly, current and former employees said they do not feel supported or heard by leadership and supervisors.

What can city do?

What's next:

Spiker said he hopes to have at least a preliminary report on the initial findings of this investigation. He said he will draw up a quorum over his fellow alders if immediate action is needed.

Spiker: "If we have something in the report that's actionable, then we have to act as soon as possible, and I'll ask my colleagues to help me get that quorum."
Kraemer: "Something in the report being what?"
Spiker: "If there's red flags that say, no, there's certain processes that are broken. This is not just two individuals having a bad day. This is something more systematic. If that's going on, then... then we gotta talk."

FOX6 News also attempted to reach out to the 99-year-old woman's family but did not hear back. Spiker said he had been in touch with the woman's daughter but did not share details of their conversation.