<p>He never asked what the Emergency was? Forget his hair color, how bout asking WHY she called 911</p>
<p>Sent from my MB860 using CC App</p>
<p>Guys taking your pizza order on the phone have more sense of urgency. And ask better questions.</p>
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Oh this operator needs some training desperately.
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<p>Amazing the operator didn’t ask for a social security number.</p>
<p>My husband listened to the recording, and he said that the social worker had such a passive nature, didn’t sound distressed at all, that he could see how they initially didn’t think it was a dire emergency. This meek and mild woman, with no obvious sense of urgency…which was probably just her personality, did not come across as that this was critical. I’m not excusing the 911 worker, but just can see how it could happen. If you call 911 and you sound ho-hum, mealy mouthed, you are going to get alot different reaction than if you were screaming, “come here now, now, now!” Something to consider if you ever need to call them.</p>
<p>I also read that her first call was to Josh Powell, not to 911.
I realize that the state subcontracts out this work, but common sense would be nice if not Kiefer Sutherland.</p>
<p>busdriver, I was also struck by the lack of urgency in the caller’s voice and words. She reports being locked out of the house, which seems to be the “emergency” she is reporting. Honestly, I don’t think she knew that something horrible was about to happen. If this were the case, wouldn’t she have abandoned her polite and calm demeanor, interrupted the dispatcher, and made it clear that it was an emergency? In hindsight it’s easy to see that it was a dire situation but I don’t think that is evident from the call.</p>
<p>^^^^She told the dispatcher that she was seriously concerned for the boys’ safety. And that she wanted to get away from the house because she could smell gasoline.</p>
<p>Zipyourlips, I think anytime there is supervised visitation and a 911 call, a police car should be sent. But I dont know if a cop couldnt gotten there in time. I blame the judge for allowing a visitation at his house. Where I live, if there is any wiff of violence supervised visitation is a Y or similiar facility.</p>
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<p>If only that had been the case in this situation.</p>
<p>You know, I think it’s in how you read this transcript. I read it again, outloud to my son, and he couldn’t believe the questions this operator was asking, AFTER the social worker stated this:
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<p>*I smell gasoline *</p>
<p>I would have opened with that.</p>
<p>I wish she had opened with this:</p>
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<p>Josh Powell was going to kill those kids. We can blame the judge and the 911 operator and the CPS worker and everyone else, but Josh Powell had made up his mind that he was going to kill them and would have eventually done it no matter what.</p>
<p>True…</p>
<p>Even if the call had gone correctly the kids would have been dead by the time help arrived. In the Petit murders the police were outside the house waiting for SWAT to show up while mom and daughters were being killed inside.</p>
<p>This guy was so obviously guilty of his wife’s disappearance. He wasn’t upset, he didnt spend lots of time looking for her…and when interviewed on his driveway after she went missing, he had a flat voice.</p>
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<p>My thoughts exactly - apparently his father, Steven Powell, is currently in jail on charges of voyeurism and child pornography. Where is his mother and the rest of his family? Before her disappearance had Susan Powell voiced any concerns to her family and friends about Josh or his dad?</p>
<p>Susan Powell was planning to divorce Josh, & talked about that with her friends & family.</p>
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<p>I never understood why there wasn’t an outcry over this. They had enough information to know that family was in imminent danger. Wasn’t there more they could have done?</p>
<p>My heart goes out to that social worker. I can not imagine the helplessness she felt, and how it felt to watch the house go up in flames with those two children inside. Those that feel she did not have a sense of urgency in her voice, I disagree. She told the operator who she was, and she had concern for their safety. She told them about the gas, and about not being let in the home, despite the court order. Some people are not very animated. But she gave them the facts. Would she do it differently with hindsight? I am sure that she would tell you she would. But how many of us would really want to believe that this man could brutally murder his two kids,
Then burn the house down? And what if you forced yourself in the house, what is your liability and how are you going to get help if he hurts you too? </p>
<p>She did what she could, even what she should. The court order, and the crazy father are the ones that let those kids down. The 911 operators should have taken the child endangerment call more seriously. The social workers supervisor should have been calling 911 at the same time the sw’er was. </p>
<p>Hopefully, the rules and procedures around visitation and safety will be modified. Hopefully, they will not need to find out if the new rules are effective or not. </p>
<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
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I’ve read that his other and sister are estranged from the men in the family and live far away.</p>
<p>Maybe in undisclosed locations? I sure wouldn’t want anyone who supports/supported Powell living anywhere near me or to know where I live.</p>