911: How to call the police ...and get them to respond

HELP!: Police response to 911 calls continue to alarm citizens, heightened by episodes such as the attempted rape on Royal Street a while back in which the caller to 911 felt the police failed to respond. A constant theme of the emails NOcrimeline receives from subscribers detail frustrations with their calls to 911.

The common refrain in all these emails seems to be summed up in one word: Panic. Panic is a natural response if you're witnessing a crime or, worse, you're the victim. It's understandable you want the police there right NOW.

But the cause of the panic seems to be this: the caller feels the questions being asked so calmly by the 911 operator--who doesn't seem to share your sense of urgency--is delaying dispatch of police to the scene. I've also complained about 911 in the past--I dredged up an email I sent in 2002 to Capt. Demma when he commanded the 8th District, expressing my exasperation over what I thought were inane questions by a 911 operator after I was reporting a traffic accident on my block.

Help is on the way: Capt. Demma forwarded my complaint to Capt. Robert Williams, then commander of the Communications Division, who gave me a detailed explanation of what the 911 operators asked and why, and how the system operated. I spoke recently with his successor, Capt. Stephen J. Gordon, a 32-year NOPD veteran who's spent 18 years assigned to communications. He corroborated what Capt. Williams explained and added some details of his own:

"Many people, unfamiliar with our 911 and computer-aided dispatch system, assume that responding to the operator's questions delays our response to the call. This is not the case."

"When the operator creates the incident by entering the type of incident and the location, a call for service is automatically generated and sent to a dispatch position for a unit to be assigned.

"The operator continues to gather all available information about the incident which is updated on the dispatcher's computer screen as supplemental information, which the dispatcher can relay to the responding unit."

Just the facts, ma'm: 911 operators have to practically be psychologists to defuse the panic callers feel. They're trained to calmly ask questions that will get the answers they need and in the order that's most important:

Location: If you're calling on a land-line, caller ID will relay your location to the operator's computer screen. If you're calling on a cellphone, you've got to give them your location. (In the recent attempted rape, police could not figure out where the caller was as he tailed the suspect. They weren't even told where the attack took place.)

Situation: What appears to be happening--a suspicious person roaming your neighborhood, someone attempting to break into a building, a drug deal going down, etc. You don't need to embellish your report hoping it will speed a response. (A well-known realtor in town used to report derelicts sleeping on the steps of nearby houses. When the 911 operator inquired if the suspect looked drunk, he'd reply, trying to speed up the response, "I don't know--he looks dead!") Giving false information could get you in trouble and does nothing to get the police there faster.

Description: Describe any suspect (or suspects and the number of them) in as much detail as you can:

• Sex and race.
• Estimated height and weight.
• Clothing: color and style of shirt and pants; color of shoes and brand; same for hat, if he's wearing one.
• Other identifiers: logos on clothing, hair style, facial hair, jewelry, etc.
• Weapon: If you see a weapon, describe it as best you can. A handgun? An assault rifle? A knife? It will help responding officers to know what they are facing.

• Anything else the 911 operator asks you.

Some of the questions may seem inane, but they're not asking them just because they enjoy chatting with you. (I once had an operator ask me the color of the cars involved in the accident. What the hell difference does this make, I wondered. I later learned and it made sense.)

It would be nice, in the course of this interrogation, if the 911 operator would volunteer that the police have been dispatched. But if you're wondering, ask. Courteously. Then you can relax and give them all the additional information they need.

Follow up: Too often citizens call 911 and then say, "There! I've done my part." That's a big part, but sometimes the police may have additional questions after apprehending a suspect and not know how to contact you to get that information. Call the 8th District station (658-6080)--or the station near where you live--and identify yourself as the person who called 911. Ask if they need any additional input from you. Let them know how they can get in touch with you if they do.

Subscribers have said in emails to NOcrimeline that they contacted the station and never heard anything back. Again, it would be nice to be thanked by the police and assured they will call you if they need more information.

But, folks, I'll tell ya--based on some of the emails I get, there's an awfully lot left out that would be informative. Make sure you're giving the police as much information as you possibly can so they can do exactly what you want them to--keep you safe.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 9.25.07

Seasonal allergies?

Fall has fell: The season changes to Fall over the weekend and it brings out the bad guys to wreak mayhem in the neighborhood, after it had been relatively quiet in the latter part of Summer.

• Aggravated battery, Saturday, 2:20 a.m., 201 Chartres St.: A 27-year-old white girl, working as a dancer at Club Ritz was standing near the doorway when a 19-year-old black girl walked up and they got into an argument. The black girl allegedly dragged the white girl out on the sidewalk in the 600 block of Iberville Street and pulled out a lock-blade pocket knife with which she slashed the victim across the shoulder, causing a 6" laceration. Tiffany Page was arrested shortly after the incident in the 100 block of Chartres.

• Attempted armed robbery, Saturday, 4:35 a.m., Dauphine and St. Ann streets: The victim (no age, race, or residence available) was accosted from behind by 2 black men brandishing knives and told to "give up your money." The victim told the robbers he had been in a fight earlier and had lost his wallet. The perpetrators began stabbing him in the back and pushed him to the ground before fleeing.

• Simple robbery, Saturday, 7:55 p.m., 600 block of Orleans Avenue: A 72-year-old man from Colorado was a walking to his car when he was approached by a prostitute selling her wares but he said he wasn't interested. A couple of minutes later when he was about to get in his car, she asked again if he wanted to "have a good time." and again he declined just as a black guy came up behind him and pushed him against his car and took his wallet. The perpetrators fled on foot across N. Rampart Street. The suspects were described as a black man, 25-35 years old, 5'8" tall, weighing 180 pounds, short hair, dark complexion, wearing a white shirt with writing on the shoulder and khaki pants; the woman was white, 30-40 years old, 5'4" tall, heavy-set weighing 170 pounds, blond hair, wearing a white shirt and dark pants.

• Aggravated battery, Saturday, 9:45 p.m., 1005 Canal St.: The victim, a 50-year-old local white man and the suspect got into an argument over a business deal. The perpetrator allegedly struck the victim in the head with a crescent wrench and then kicked him in the head when he fell to the ground and passed out briefly. When he came to, his business associate had fled. A warrant was issued for Eddie Bouie, no age or address given.

Is there a full moon?: These recent armed robberies make you wonder:

• You're not from here, are you?: Three women from Washington state were walking in the 100 block of St. Charles Avenue last Thursday (9.20.07) at 10:45 p.m. when they were approached by a black man with a small semiautomatic pistol. He asked the first woman for her money but she said she had none. He then told the 23-year-old woman in the group to leave, while both of her 43-year-old companions remained. He asked the second woman for her money and began tugging on her purse. She said she had no money but believed the robber "needed a hug" and embraced the bad guy. The perpetrator, obviously bewildered, turned around and walked to Canal Street where he loitered for a while before drifting into the crowd. He was described as 25-25 years old, 5'7" tall, weighing 160 pounds, with short hair and unkempt appearance, wearing a black shirt with white logo letters and a silver chain.

• What's the hurry?: A 24-year-old Algiers couple were returning to their car at Andrew Higgins Drive and Convention Center Boulevard after leaving The Metropolitan bar around 3 a.m. Sunday when they were robbed by a black man who held a gun to the man's neck and demanded everything they had. They surrendered their wallet, purse, cellphone and car keys. The perpetrator fled on foot and the couple caught a cab home. They retrieved their car later in the morning and then reported the crime to the 4th District NOPD station in Algiers around 1:30 p.m. They said they had been too intoxicated to give a description of the perpetrator.

• On the other hand...: A 50-year-old Metairie man thinks he was carjacked this morning in the 600 block of Barracks Street about 12:23 a.m. He said he was about to get into his 1995 red Toyota Camry when a black man approached him and struck him in the head with a handgun and then took his vehicle. According to the police report, "The victim gave 4 different stories to the facts and circumstances of the incident" and "also gave several different descriptions of the perpetrator." But the victim's "injuries were consistent with him being struck in the face with an object."

Good news: Christopher Hoard, the 18-year-old suspect wanted by 8th District cops for at least 2 armed robberies in the French Quarter, has been apprehended in Houston and is due for an extradition hearing tomorrow. It looks like he's had similar scrapes in Texas where he appears to face a couple of armed robbery charges there as well.

Here he's wanted for the armed robberies 8.6.07 of 2 Baton Rouge men in the 200 block of Burgundy Street around 5 a.m. and 8.24.07 of a man walking in the 1000 block of Dauphine Street at about 9:30 p.m.

Hoard, whose last known address is 308 Burgundy St., is a black man, 5'9" tall, weighing 165 pounds, with dreadlocks.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 9.21.07

They're baaaack...

Pursesnatchings redeux: Maybe it's a seasonal thing. When it was so blessed hot out, pursesnatchings seemed to dwindle. Now they seem to be the crime du jour. Even with the arrest of a pair of thugs, the pursesnatchings are still continuing--even in broad daylight.

One arrest good for two others: Quick action by State Troopers ended in the arrest of two suspects believed to be the culprits in snatching the purse of a 25-year-old white woman in the 1200 block of Royal Street at about 8:32 p.m. on Tuesday (9.18.07). The victim, who lives on Gov. Nicholls Street, was walking to her car when 2 black men came up behind her, pushed her against her car, and grabbed her wallet from under her arm. They fled on foot.

State Troopers patrolling in the 200 block of Basin Street, using the description given by the victim, apprehended:

• Kerwin Duncan, 20, believed to have last lived in Westwego (top picture)

• James V. Spriggens, 21, believed to have last lived in Algiers (bottom picture)

Duncan was charged the next day with the attempted armed robbery of a man exiting the Roundup bar at 819 St. Louis St. at about 11:35 p.m. on Monday (9.17.07). The victim felt something poking him in his back and turned around to see a black man with a small chrome semi-automatic handgun. He declined the gunman's request to "Give it up" with a resounding "NO!" and turned to walk away. The perpetrator hit him in the back of the head with the gun. The victim spun around and threw his beer on the gunman then fled down St. Louis to the Double Play bar at Dauphine Street, where he called police. The victim was taken by ambulance to University Hospital for treatment of the laceration to his head. He was later able to pick Duncan out of a photo lineup and Duncan was additionally charged with attempted armed robbery.

Spriggens was charged with pursesnatching.

Detectives were also able to link Duncan and Spriggens to the attack on a Harahan couple in their 40s the week before on Tuesday (9.11.07) on Dauphine Street near the Port of Call restaurant. One of the assailants slugged the man in the mouth while the other grabbed the woman's purse. The suspects were charged in that case with simple battery and simple robbery.

They're still out there: Despite those arrests, a 59-year-old white man was walking on Frenchmen Street near his home in the 2100 block of Dauphine Street when he was attacked by a black man Wednesday ( 9.19.07) at 4:56 p.m. The perpetrator came up behind the victim and put a choke hold on him that caused him to black out. When he awoke, his wallet was missing.

Beware at Rampart and Esplanade: There have been various problems with people hanging out behind the FEMA trailers at N. Rampart Street and Esplanade Avenue. One woman reported walking her dog at about 8 p.m. Sunday (9.16.07) when she was grabbed around the waist from behind by a white guy, about 5'8" tall, dark hair, wearing jeans and a dark T-shirt. The police told her that her assailant was probably trying to drag her behind the trailers and suggested she get a concealed-weapons permit and arm herself.

Stabbing suspect nabbed: The alleged assailant in the melee at Utopia Night Club, 227 Bourbon St., at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday (9.16.07) was taken in to custody this morning at his Metairie home and charged with 5 counts of attempted first degree murder. Arrested was Ray A. Boudreaux, 22, a black male, 5'9" tall, weighing 200 pounds, a running back on the Tulane University football team.

After a verbal altercation erupted in Utopia over the alleged touching of another man's wife, the argument spilled out into the street and 4 men and 1 woman were stabbed in the ensuing rampage. A 24-year-old man remains in the hospital in critical condition with lacerations to his neck. Boudreaux said he was defending himself.

When a surveillance video was released Wednesday showing the fight in the street in front of Utopia, NOPD detectives were notified by management from Cats Meow, 701 Bourbon St.--which is allied with Utopia--that the assailant might have been a former employee, Ray Boudreaux. Two of the victims and a witness positively identified Boudreaux from a photo line up put together by the State Police.

Shame on y'all: Nobody but nobody showed up at last week's (9.13.07) NONPAC meeting. Quality-Of-Life officer Roger Jones said he and Capt. Hosli took it as a sign they must be doing a helluva job, as they sat staring at each other. True, NOcrimeline didn't give a reminder like it usually does since it was out of commission for a couple of weeks. But one would think that by now everyone knows NONPAC (New Orleans Neighborhood Policing Anti-Crime Council) is always the SECOND Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Omni Royal hotel...

Except NEXT MONTH when it will be at Maison Dupuy Hotel, 1001 Toulouse St., on Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. (Meetings will resume at the Omni Royal in November.)

NONPAC meetings are a good time to let the cops in the 8th District--face to face--know what's on your mind. It might have been a good time to say "thank you" to Capt. Hosli and Lt. Selby for their crackdown that virtually eliminated armed robberies in August in the Lower Quarter and Marigny Triangle after they got out of hand in July. Or, if you were still chafing at perceived lack of 911 response, you could have quizzed them about that.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 9.17.07

I'm baaaack...

Geeze, skip a few reports , and... As you probably noticed, there have been no NOcrimeline alerts for a couple of weeks, causing rumors to fly--one reported I had been murdered (maybe wishful thinking by a miscreant from the bad part of town)...actually, the care was much better than that at Touro Infirmary--now, if they only had a Wi-Fi connection there...so I've got to catch up, but luckily Capt. Hosli and Lt. Selby have kept crime down over the span I was out of commission, as they've been doing rather consistently lately.

Of course, there's always a bad apple: You haven't missed much since the last NOcrimeline report 9.3.07, but there was an armed robbery at about 12:19 a.m. Thursday in front of 929 Orleans Ave. The victim, a 48-year-old white man, was walking along the street when he was accosted by 2 black men who forced him onto the stoop, put a gun to his head and took his wallet from his pants' pocket.

The officers responding to the call immediately put out a description of the perpetrators. A police detective cruising the area spotted 2 men matching the description in the 900 block of Conti Street and detained them. The victim was driven to that location and positively identified the perpetrators.

Arrested were: Armand Watson, 34, last known address 331 Basin St., (left), and Edmond Gabriel, 29, last known address 1431 Conti St. (right). Each is being held on a $125,000 bond pending preliminary hearings on 10.11.07. Watson was charged with armed robbery and armed robbery with a firearm and Gabriel was charged with armed robbery with a firearm.

Violent pursesnatching: On Tuesday, 9.11.07, a Harahan couple, a man, 48, and a woman, 43, were returning to their car at about 11:15 p.m. in the 1300 block of Dauphine Street, just around the corner from the Port Of Call on Esplanade Avenue.

As the man was opening the passenger-side door for the woman, he was attacked by 2 black men. One perpetrator slugged the man in the mouth while the other grabbed the woman's purse.

The robbers fled down Dauphine to Barracks Street where they turned toward Bourbon Street. Both perpetrators were described as 20-25 years old, one was wearing a white T-shirt and had medium-length dreadlocks, the other wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans, about 5'9" tall and weighing 135 pounds.

Not exactly Utopia: Sir Thomas More certainly didn't have a bar in mind when he coined the concept of Utopia, and certainly not Utopia Night Club at 227 Bourbon St. The scene of more than its share of trouble, erupted once again Sunday morning around 5:30 a.m. when a group of 5 black partyers were attacked by another group of 5 revelers, one of whom had a 5" knife.

Typical of Utopia's form--putting the unruly out of the club to make it someone else's problem (like last year when a customer was killed after exiting the club)--the club's bouncer tried to put one group out of the club. One of the men tried to re-enter the club he was attacked by the man with the knife.

When it was all done, the knife-wielding perpetrator left 4 victims, including the bouncer, cut up. Two men were in serious critical condition, one with knife wounds to the head, neck and chest; the other had wounds to the face, shoulder and chest. Another victim, who told police the altercation began when one of the perpetrators started grabbing on his wife, was in stable condition with knife wounds.

The perpetrator was seen driving away in a black Nissan X-terra with Louisiana tag PJA 597. No other description was given of the perpetrator and his posse.

Despite all the problems inside and outside of Utopia over the years, the club has had virtual immunity since 2004 when it was shut down by the NOPD for permit and license violations. Owned by powerful businessman Kishore V. Motwani, who has extensive holdings throughout New Orleans, Utopia reopened almost immediately. But 2 weeks later, Capt. Louis Dabdoub, the popular commander of the 8th District, was booted to the 4th District and obscurity. Most believe he was a victim of his zeal to crackdown on the licensing scofflaws--a crackdown Mayor Nagin initially ordered and then retreated from.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 9.3.07

This is HARD labor...

All that work for what?: The NOPD apprehended one suspect in 2 armed robberies in the French Quarter yesterday. Charles J. Bush, 25, whose last known address was 1531 Conti St., was charged with attempted armed robbery.

The robbery occurred at about 9 p.m. Sunday when 2 black men who had been sitting on the steps at 1030 Burgundy St. stopped a 39-year-old white man who lives in the 900 block of Gov. Nicholls Street who was walking up Burgundy. They demanded "Break it off!" while one of them pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the victim. The victim exclaimed "I don't have anything," emptying his pockets to show them he had only credit cards on him. The would-be robbers ordered him down on the street and fled on foot down Burgundy, turning on to Ursulines Avenue going toward N. Rampart Street, according to a witness.

Bush was stopped in the 1400 block of N. Rampart at 9:45 p.m. by officers who noticed he fit the description of one of the perpetrators: 5'7" tall, weighing 150 pounds, dark complexion, wearing a long red shirt, a red cap, long black denim shorts, black and white hi-top shoes. The victim positively identified Bush as one of the perpetrators. His accomplice, who was not caught, was described as 18-22 years old, 5'9" tall, weighing 150 pounds, light complexion, wearing a red shirt, blue cap, and had short dreadlocks.

Citizens helped: The involvement of some citizens may have helped in the apprehension of Bush, though they're not so sure. One resident who lives in the 1100 block of Burgundy (between Gov. Nicholls and Ursulines) said he "was sitting on my porch in the 1100 block of Burgundy and noticed 2 young men walking on opposite sides of the street, circling back and following solitary pedestrians. I called 911 and gave the operator a detailed description and location of these guys." But he says he never saw a police car respond.

There's a reason: The victim, after being robbed on Burgundy, ran up St. Philip Street to Rampart to the Meauxbar restaurant, yelling for help. A couple out walking their dog followed him in and found he had been held up by 2 men fitting the description of a suspicious duo they had seen earlier on their walk. They went outside and flagged down a police car--possibly in the area from the other citizen's 911 call. Those officers got a description of the perpetrators and said they would circle the area while a detective called to the scene took a report from the victim--it's likely this unit is he one which located the suspect. And while the citizen who made the 911 call said he never said the police, it's because all the police's dealings with the victim were on Rampart, not Burgundy.

All 3 of these citizens probably had a bigger role in the apprehension of this suspect than they think. And the couple who first noticed the suspects said they will make it a point to take their cellphone with them next time they go out, so they can call 911 if they see something suspicious. (I take mine with me when I take the garbage to the curb!)

Not so lucky: In an earlier armed robbery yesterday, a 29-year-old white man who lives in the 600 block of Ursulines Avenue who was walking home from his shift as a bartender, was robbed at 6:30 a.m. by 3 black thugs loitering in the 500 block of Burgundy. As he tried to walk by them, they grabbed him and one stuck a gun in his side. They went through his pockets and took his iPod and a wallet containing $75. The hoods fled up Burgundy to Conti Street. The victim reported the theft at the 8th District station at Conti and Royal streets.

The 3 perpetrators were all described as about 21 years old and:

• 6'1" tall, wearing a black "Biggie Small" shirt, blue jeans, blue baseball cap, armed with a blue steel revolver with black grips;
• 5'6" tall, weighing 140 pounds, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans;
• 5'7" tall, weighing 150 pounds, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
  

Not so strange: In the last NOcrimeline report, we thought it was strange the police classified a would-be rape as an "aggravated burglary." As it turned out, the incident (in which a man forced his way into another man's apartment at gunpoint) turned out to be more of an "aggravated battery." But by classifying it as a burglary, the penalty is about twice as great: upon conviction, a minimum of one year and a maximum of 30 years at hard labor.

Truth is...: In the same report, we accused Superintendent Warren Riley of taking away the individual NOPD districts' control over sex crimes, making it difficult for local commanders to explain to citizens in their districts what has happened in a sex crime. Truth is, sex crimes have been the province of the sex squad since long before Riley, even before Chief Pennington was here.

The reason: Interviewing victims of sex crimes require sensitive and complex techniques, training beyond what the average detective has.

How it works: When a sex crime is reported to 911, an officer from the local NOPD district is dispatched to take initial information and determine if it is a sex crime. Then a sex squad detective is usually called while the uniformed officer is still on the scene. From that point on, any investigation is handled by the sex squad and any information released is up to the commander of that unit.

Solution: While residents are naturally concerned when sex crimes occur in their neighborhoods, it is difficult to divine the line between what the public needs to know and what needs to be confidential. In an ideal world of enlightened police departments, some one would come up with a formula that would satisfy everyone. In an ideal world...

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler