911 Dispatcher to Rape Victim: 'Quit Crying'

Operator wasn't exactly sensitive during the emergency call
By Shelley Hazen,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 13, 2014 12:04 PM CDT
911 Dispatcher to Rape Victim: 'Quit Crying'
   (Shutterstock)

A woman who was raped in Columbus, Ohio, said the 911 dispatcher she called after her attack had “zero sympathy” after the victim got this response during her call: “Ma’am, you’re going to have to quit crying so I can get the information from you." The victim was staying with a friend at a sorority house near Ohio State University last Sunday when she woke up with a gun to her head around 4am; the man holding it allegedly forced her to perform sex acts on him. After the alleged assault, he left with some stolen cash and an iPhone and the victim called 911, reports ABC News.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the address, and hoped the dispatcher could figure it out by locating her phone. “No. We can’t. That’s why I need to know where you are,” the dispatcher reportedly said. The victim also didn’t know what door the attacker came in. The dispatcher’s response? “Well, they’re not going to be able to find him with the information that you’ve given.” At this point, the victim lost it, telling the dispatcher, "The kind of sympathy you have is zero.” Since the suspect was arrested—30-year-old Michael Callaghan has been charged with rape and burglary—the dispatcher’s supervisor won’t reprimand the employee, but the call will be reviewed. (Last year, a 911 operator came under fire for laughing when a caller said his girlfriend was on fire.)

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