“You call 911 and they come and they save you."

[gryphon]

What is amazing about this story is that the focus is on the 911 outage and not the fact that this woman could easily have been dead even if 911 had worked.  Even the homeowner still doesn't seem to get it.

Everett woman dials 911 for help 37 times during system outage



"After I tried 911 a couple times and it rang busy, they were still at the door,” said Cappola.  Eventually, the man crawled in through a window, and Alicia, realizing that her young twins were asleep inside the house, armed herself with a knife, prepared to protect her family.

"You call 911 and they come and they save you. And they weren't going to come and save me,” she said.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/everett-woman-dials-911-help-37-times-during-911-s/nfXfF/

[SteveS]

Honestly, I think most of the time they will come and try and help.  That being said, you need to be prepared for times when they can't come or times when the threat is more immediate and even if they are coming, it may be too late.  Thinking that the police will always be there to save you is unrealistic.

[gryphon]

times when the threat is more immediate and even if they are coming, it may be too late. 

That's what I was getting at.  By the time the police get there, it may be too late.  You can't depend on 911 to save you like this woman thought.  And judging from the way the story is written, she still thinks that way, that as long as you can get through to 911 you'll be okay.

Of course, news reporting these days is abysmal.

[gryphon]

Best comment I've read about this story:

She should have dialed 1-911. Eight times, if necessary.

[Scott Leyder]

What do we have to do to get people to understand the four SCOTUS decisions that say exactly the oposite of what she thinks? 

[gryphon]

What do we have to do to get people to understand the four SCOTUS decisions that say exactly the oposite of what she thinks?

Law-enforcement has no duty to protect individuals. South v. Maryland
 
There is no duty owed by the police, the city, or the state to act to prevent or avoid harm to citizens. Susman v. City of Los Angeles
 
The state has no affirmative duty to protect an individual, even if they know that person is in danger. DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services
 
Neither the police nor the government is liable to victims for failure to provide adequate police protection. Warren v. District of Columbia
 
Police departments enjoy absolute immunity for failure to provide sufficient police protection. Hartzler v. City of San Jose
 
Neither cities nor police departments are responsible for failing to enforce restraining orders or protect citizens. Castle Rock v. Gonzales
 
“Failure to provide adequate police protection will not result in governmental liability, nor will a public entity be liable for failure to arrest a person who is violating the law.” Antique Arts Corp. v. City of Torrence
 
“There is no constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered.” Bowers v. DeVito

[Scott Leyder]

I stand corrected.  Eight SCOTUS decisions that tell us the police do not have a duty to save us.  lol

[gryphon]

I stand corrected.  Eight SCOTUS decisions that tell us the police do not have a duty to save us.  lol

Well, not all are SCOTUS decisions.  Some are state case law.  One of the most famous, Warren, is D.C. COA.  There are probably four SCOTUS and four lower court rulings.