Will a new transparency bill stop DC911’s coverups?

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Read draft of new legislation

For the third time, a councilmember has written legislation to make DC911 transparent and accountable. The first two efforts became law but the law has been ignored. Agency leaders just continued the general policy of hiding data and covering up investigations.

The new bill goes further and requires a shortened timeline for investigations. It also requires the release of redacted 911 calls and computer dispatch reports. That’s good, because Office of Unified Communication Director Heather McGaffin has steadfastly refused to release that information, even to council members.

Unfortunately, the legislation, as witten, still allows DC911 to self-investigate critical incidents. That has not worked well in the 14 deaths STATter911 has documented since 2019 where serious 911 mistakes occurred. There are also four other deaths where details are still being withheld by OUC. STATter911 has shown that, in many of these cases, OUC’s findings don’t match the data and recordings that clearly show mistakes. The two most recent reports compiled by the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) were embarrassing. They never addressed the key accusations about 911 errors and provided no data to support the ridiculous findings.

None of this will mean anything unless Pinto plans to battle OUC’s leaders and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration about the failure to release required information. Despite the current law, DC911 still doesn’t release call to dispatch data. McGaffin even told Pinto in a February hearing that the DC Police Department won’t allow her to release that information. It appears Bowser and police don’t want the public to know how long it takes to dispatch even high priority police 911 calls. How can you gauge the health of a 911 center without knowing how long it takes to dispatch calls?

Here’s hoping that the council member also makes the victims of previous mistakes a priority. OUC continues to withhold key information about the deaths last year of three people whose car plunged into the Anacostia River under the Douglass Bridge. DC911 sent fire, EMS, and police to the wrong bridge. The agency still hasn’t reported how many call-takers were under headset when Bernard Baker Jr. died. His family couldn’t get 911 to answer promptly at 3:30 a.m. Director McGaffin still hasn’t come clean with the families who lost dogs during a flood last year. The computer printout McGaffin is withholding shows two call-takers failed to enter information into the computer that people and dogs were trapped under a wall of water, delaying a fire department response.

Pinto plans to do a series of surprise visits to the 911 center. That’s a good idea considering that on previous visits by council members, advisory neighborhood commissioners, and VIP groups, efforts were made to have all seats filled. For at least three years, OUC has had serious staffing issues resulting in significant delays answering 911 calls.

Pinto also plans to hold monthly OUC oversight hearings. That’s a move in the right direction.

As STATter911 has long pointed out, you can’t fix DC911 without evaluating key data and knowing the truth about the agency’s many mistakes and challenges. If Pinto can actually get real transparency and accountability from an administration that constanly fights such efforts, that will move the ball forward.

But these hearings and other council efforts also need to create a framework to move forward. Next month is the 20th anniversary of OUC and the agency is in extremely bad shape. Mayor Bowser has consistently shown a lack of interest in even acknowledging DC911’s many problems. History has shown no one should expect Bowser to do anything to fix issues she won’t admit exist.

The council needs to establish a framework for a post-Bowser 911 center. This should include serious consideration of moving fire and EMS call-taking and dispatching back to the control of the DC Fire and EMS Department. In fact, it should be Pinto’s immediate fall back position if she gets the least bit of resistance from McGaffin and company on the new and old data and information requirements.