Comments by "pugetwitch" (@Pugetwitch) on "The Disturbing Case of the House of Horrors Killer | Documentary" video.

The dispatcher is a hero for keeping her calm, remaining a voice of reason, and most importantly, relaying to the officers exactly what she hears going on in the background. That's the point of keeping her on the phone. That's why the dispatcher says you can keep the phone on the ground and not speak if you don't have to. But evidently none of you guys heard any of that. I've called 911 before and I was that the dispatcher I spoke to is halfway is a competent as this one. I was getting the shit beat out of me by the father of my children and the dispatcher hung up on me because I wouldn't "calm down". I'm dead serious. Dude was kicking me in the face and I was crying and begging for help! I had already given the dispatcher my address and name as soon as they picked up the phone because I was being assaulted and I wanted help immediately. Plus they had been out to my apartment more times than I could count at that point because the neighbors were always calling the cops due to his abuse.
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@cambriaofthevastoceans6721 that's what they're trying to do, they're trained to ask questions in order to keep the victim in a state of consciousness and help them stay grounded. The victim was crying, she is in a hostage situation, I can't imagine how scary it was for the dispatcher to know that she has someone's life at stake. Dispatcher did her job professionally and amazingly well.
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@tyeclark9635 she saved her life. Without the dispatcher, the cops never would have found the house. The dispatcher was quick-witted enough to ask relevant questions that led to the police finding the house, and she also was able to convey to the police that the girl was inside of the house despite the house looking like it was completely empty and being shuttered up.
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@gregv79 well you certainly thought wrong! She ended up saving it.
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@BZ1610 they ask those type of questions in order to help stabilize the caller's emotions by keeping them grounded. I understand it can be frustrating, but without asking these questions, people can spiral into a panic. They can start begging for help to be on the way, and the more emotional somebody gets, the more likely the chance that they abductor will wake up and attack.
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@Stringbats not at all, if somebody is in a crisis mode and they're not in a stable mind state, their emotions can get the best of them, they can panic, they can run directly into danger. The first thing that we learn when somebody is in crisis when working in the mental health industry is to deescalate and evaluate. De-escalation is so, so important. If she would have spiraled into a panic attack the abductor likely would have woken up. It's important to keep the line connected because without knowing what's going on in the background, dispatchers can only assume the worst.
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@miah5040 no because they need to know who they're looking for when they get there. They need to know a suspect description. Have you ever watched a police show on television before?
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@gemini_man66 and that's the reason why you depended on people like her to give LEO the correct information in a professional manner, since y'all don't have the training to convey it effectively. The fast way isn't always the best way. Sometimes there's things that need to be collected first, like critical data.
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@jackkawf4449 I know right, let it be a black man down and out on his luck, passing a fake 20 at a corner store, and they'll send the whole 5 man team out to "nullify the target"! But if it's this dude with the complexion for protection, they just let him saunter on in with no shirt, he's living breathing, talking it up.... But our system is supposedly based on equality.
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@bettinadewoof3309 I worked as a therapist and a lot of my patients preferred remote sessions. I had to refer quite a few people to crisis hotlines. I just can't imagine the nerves that these dispatchers have. I thought about getting into dispatching, but I had to leave the field of mental health as it was because the burnout was so intense for me. It's really difficult to help other people when you are being abused at home. Luckily I'm not anymore, but my life really went to shit for a bit cuz I chose the wrong guy to have kids with.
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