MILWAUKEE — Attorneys are planning a potential lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee after a 99-year-old woman waited over 3 hours for a dispatch response following a mishandled 911 call in late July.
MacGillis Law Group held a press conference Wednesday morning, detailing what they believe to be an overarching systemic, training, and supervision failure within the Department of Emergency Communications.
They say the call was mislabeled because the initial caller did not physically see the battery incident occurring. They also say even with the incorrect label, the written policy stated the response should not have taken more than 15 minutes, but only happened because the woman, identified only as “Shirley,” called again after 3 hours.
They also allege this is not the first time this has happened.
“With the information that we have now received, we know that there have been failures. And this isn’t about one employee, this isn’t about two employees. You will see that responsibility is at the top,” says Attorney Christopher MacGillis.
MacGillis says they have 30 days to reach an agreement with the city, which could include staffing and policy changes, as well as damages for Shirley and her family. Otherwise, the plan to file a lawsuit within the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
“What’s important to Shirley and to her family is that this type of thing doesn’t happen again. And we know, based on the documents that we just showed you, this is a known problem,” says MacGillis.
Two 911 operators have resigned since the incident, with one admitting to falling asleep on the job the night of the attack. MacGillis says he does not blame the actions of one employee, rather, a lack of supervision.
“We now have some information. I don’t think we have all the information yet. There is still a lot to uncover. I expect that we are hitting the tip of the iceberg,” says MacGillis.
As for 99-year-old Shirley, her attorneys say she is working hard to heal, but her mobility remains limited. They also say the family is grateful for community support, and has set up a GoFundMe for Shirley’s medical bills and other costs.
