The 911 operator and dispatcher accused of mishandling calls the night two police officers were shot to death will face disciplinary hearings in about a week to determine whether they will lose their jobs.
Angela Gibson and Eugenia Boiman face the harshest criticism in an Internal Investigations report released Wednesday by the Cincinnati Police Division.
The report, which analyzes emergency response, holds the two women responsible for the 47-minute delay before anyone realized Spc. Ronald Jeter and Officer Daniel Pope were dying early Dec. 6 in a Clifton Heights apartment. The officers had been shot in the head by Alonzo Davenport, a domestic violence suspect who killed himself a few minutes later, police said.
The report finds that Ms. Gibson, 46, an operator who took the 911 call reporting ''officers down'' just before midnight Dec. 5, placed the emergency caller on hold and failed to seek help or alert a dispatcher or supervisor.
Ms. Gibson, who became a 911 operator in 1988, had already worked an eight-hour shift as a 911 dispatcher Dec. 5 when she began a four-hour overtime shift at 11 p.m., working as a call taker. In that role, she would have to alert a dispatcher if she wanted emergency crews to respond.
''I did what I thought best at the time,'' she told investigators in the report. ''In hindsight, I should've upgraded the run.''
The investigation also finds that Ms. Boiman, 38, a 911 dispatcher, canceled a run to the West Hollister address where the officers were shot because she thought it was a duplicate of the call about Mr. Davenport's suicide a few blocks away. She did not send help after telling a District 4 officer she would. She also did not have authority from a supervisor to cancel the run, the report says.
Ms. Boiman, a former dispatcher and sheriff's deputy, said she doesn't know why she canceled the run.
''I'm gonna admit to you on tape, that was very stupid of me,'' she told investigators. ''If I'm at fault, I'm gonna accept the blame.''
The formal disciplinary charges of neglect of duty against Ms. Gibson and Ms. Boiman will go before a hearing with Lt. Col. James Smith, Resource Bureau commander.
His recommendation for discipline will be returned within 45 days of the hearing to Police Chief Michael Snowden. From there, the recommendation goes to Safety Director Kent Ryan, and the ultimate decision rests with City Manager John Shirey, police spokesman Lt. Tim Schoch said.
The two 911 workers have been reassigned to administrative and clerical duties pending their hearings.
Two others face discipline as well for actions the report finds led to delayed response: Ms. Boiman's boss, Pasquale ''Pat'' Cipollone, 54, and Edward Farris, 47, a canine unit officer working the night of the shootings.
Mr. Cipollone was the 911 floor supervisor that night, and the report suggests that he was not as aware of developments as he should have been. He must meet with his supervisor to discuss how he could have improved his response. The meeting will be documented and put in his file. He has been a supervisor since December 1996. His performance as a supervisor has been rated lower - with an 80 percent evaluation in June - than evaluations for the rest of his two-decade career with the communications section.
Officer Farris was monitoring two channels on his scanner that night and provided incorrect information to Ms. Boiman about another channel handling a run. He had no firsthand knowledge of what was going on, the report says.
Officer Farris, whose personnel file is filled with 18 commendations for good work in his 10 years with the division, is being disciplined with a written reprimand.
Reviews for both Ms. Gibson and Ms. Boiman have improved since they were hired.
Chief Snowden said he takes seriously the communications problems that happened the night of the shootings.
But he said he wants to assure the community that there should be faith in the 911 system. Voters have rejected pleas for more money for the system, which works with a staff of 110 in downtown's police headquarters.
''Day in and day out, they do a tremendous job,'' Chief Snowden said.
The communications section took 920,000 calls last year. Of those, 483,670 were emergencies and 269,000 calls needed emergency crews dispatched, he said.
But police and city officials are being flooded with calls and letters about problems with the system. City Councilman Charlie Winburn is proposing community meetings in February and March to discuss 911 problems and solutions.
Linda Pope, Officer Pope's widow, has voiced her criticism in an open letter to officers and their families - calling for the ousting of the 911 workers responsible for the delay in response. She could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Brenda Collier, the mother of Spc. Jeter, said she's waiting to review the report before commenting on whether the 911 workers should be fired.
Aside from disciplining the workers, the police division will look at ways to improve the public's trust in the 911 system, Lt. Schoch said.
''Our focus is on improving the delivery of police services,'' he said. ''The ultimate goal is to improve performance, with customer service as our No. 1 priority.''
