Good Samaritan says 911 operator debated him instead of quickly sending help for carjacking

A motorist in DeKalb County, Georgia witnessed a woman getting carjacked and called 911, but instead of getting help, he says the 911 operator debated him about what to call the crime. As reported by WAGA Fox 5 News, Willie Hubbard saw the woman getting thrown to the ground by a man. Hubbard told the station, “I’m thinking that could’ve been my momma, my grandmother, that could have been my sister, anybody.” So he called 911 and reported the crime, hoping to get the woman some help from the authorities.

Willie Hubbard (WAGA)

Hubbard explained what transpired on his call with the 911 operator:

911 operator: ‘Sir could you tell me what happened.’

Hubbard: ‘He just snatched her out of the car and took her car. She just got carjacked.’

911 operator: ‘Well sir, that’s not a carjacking, that’s a theft.’

Hubbard: ‘Ma’am, that’s not a theft.’

911 operator: ‘Well did he have a gun?’

Hubbard: ‘No he didn’t have a gun, but he just snatched her and threw her to the ground, and stole her car.’

The Good Samaritan said that as he saw the woman on the ground screaming, the 911 operator kept debating the terms that he used to describe the crime. “Then she proceeded to say, ‘Well we’ll send a unit,’ Hubbard told WAGA. “So we sat there approximately 38 minutes before the first officer even came. And then when the sergeant came she was explaining to us that it was called to them as a theft not a robbery. And I was like, ‘That’s crazy.’”

James Conroy, interim DeKalb Police Chief (WAGA)

James Conroy, interim DeKalb Police Chief, said, “Looking at the call information, it does appear there was a delayed response of somewhere over 30 minutes, which in my opinion is not acceptable in a carjacking case.” He promised to look further into the matter.

The problem is something that Hubbard feels has got to be fixed saying, “The dispatcher was arguing with me about a call that I made about a concern, as a concerned citizen. I was just upset about it. Something needs to be done because if it happened to me it can happen to anybody.”

Video and more info: WAGA

Crime & JusticeSociety & Culture911 operator

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China bans officials sending new year cards at public expense

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party on Friday banned officials from sending or printing new year cards or calendars if they have been paid for with public funds, the latest step in the government's crackdown on waste, extravagance and graft.

"The printing and production are more and more extravagant, and the waste is greater and greater," the central government said on its main website (www.gov.cn).

"This is not only an expression of formalism, but drives extravagance."

The order covers all government and party departments, state-owned industries and financial bodies, though an exception will be made for those which deal with foreigners and overseas Chinese, as long as they rein in costs, the notice said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to address growing public anger at the illegal or unethical behavior of party officials, especially those with flamboyant lifestyles, often seen as a sign they are corrupt.

Since taking office in March, Xi has called corruption a threat to the party's survival and vowed to go after powerful "tigers" as well as lowly "flies".

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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