911 center, police must restore faith

By: The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board  / The Daily Cardinal - May 6, 2008

After mishaps and lack of information, students are becoming disillusioned with a system they have been taught to trust.

As a result of the Dane County 911 Center’s failing to return Brittany Zimmermann’s call for help, many more questions and issues have been brought to light. One of the most important issues facing the Madison Police Department is the student body’s loss of faith in the 911 system.

Currently, students cannot trust the system they have always been told would keep them safe.

The MPD must do more to assuage students’ fears about the murder than by telling them to lock their doors at night and walk home with a friend. These instructions do not help students feel more at ease about the murder of a fellow student in broad daylight.

It is understandable the police have a priority to maintain the integrity of the investigation of the murder, but students should have the right to some information that could minimize fears.

To help restore student faith, it is imperative the call center logs are audited completely and staff who consistently fail to adhere to protocol are subsequently reprimanded or fired.

The most important thing the police and the call center can do is to restore students’ faith in the 911 system before the summer begins and definitely before a conviction is made in regards to Zimmermann’s murder.


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