A home invasion victim in Dallas, Texas, called police and waited one hour and twenty-seven minutes for officers to arrive.
The victim–referred to as “Jamie”–said he was lying in bed when he heard footsteps, and the next thing he heard was the sound of a suspect telling him not to move, as that suspect pressed the barrel of a gun against the back of Jamie’s head.
According to WFAA, 65-year-old Jamie said, “[The suspect] kept saying, ‘Where is the safe?’ and I would say, ‘I don’t have the safe’ and he would press [the gun] into my head.”
He called police when the suspect left his bedroom, and police arrived one hour and twenty-seven minutes later.
Jamie’s call is what the Dallas Police Department labels a “Priority 2” call. Such calls are currently “being answered in about 22 minutes,” but Officer Nick Novello said, “In many instances, Priority 2 calls can be held for 30 minutes or up to three or four hours.” The response time for Jamie fell right between Dallas PD’s 22 minute norm and the four hours to which Novello alluded.
WFAA quoted identified officers who indicated “there are frequently dozens of serious calls holding with no one available to answer.”
by Awr Hawkins