EDITOR’S NOTE: Revisiting the best…. As the web department manager at CW39 Houston, I had the privilege of kicking butt on some of the best stories to feature on our show, I am sharing those people with my readers on NewsWithAttidue.com. Enjoy!
HOUSTON — A 911 operator is accused of intentionally hanging up on callers during emergencies simply because she was not in the mood to help, according to Houston police.
Crenshanda Williams has been charged with interference with an emergency telephone call.
Williams had been employed as a telecommunicator with the Houston Emergency Center since July 2014, and supervisors began to notice that her logs revealed an abnormally high amount of “short calls,” with a duration of less than 20 seconds.
Supervisors investigated the recorded call logs, and found that thousands of calls had been disconnected by Williams between Oct. 2015 and March 2016.
At least one of the calls was for a robbery and homicide, and two were regarding speeding vehicles.
Specifically on March 12, Williams hung up on several callers. The first call was ended immediately after she picked it up.
During the second call, an operator — identified as Williams — is heard answering “Houston 911, do you need medical, police or fire?”
When the male caller responded, “This is a robbery,” Williams is heard sighing before hanging up, according to court documents.
Investigators tracked down the robbery/shooting caller, who confirmed someone hung up the phone the first time he called in, frustrating him, and he had to call back a second time. By the time police arrived, a person was dead.
Investigators said the following day, Williams hung up on several more people, including a security officer who was attempting to report a dangerous street racing incident.
The operator, again identified as Williams, said “Houston 911, do you need medical, police or fire?”
The caller only had time to say “This is Officer Molten. I’m driving on 45 South right now and I am at ……” before Williams ended the call.
Although the call was disconnected, the recording captured Williams saying “Ain’t nobody got time for this. For Real.”
The officer called in again, and a different 911 operator picked up and assisted him. Investigators reached out to the officer, who also confirmed the “hang up call” on that day.
Police interviewed Williams, who allegedly admitted to disconnecting the calls because she “did not want to talk to anyone at that time.”
Investigators said Williams’ actions prevented and interfered with the callers’ ability to request assistance during an emergency and charges were filed against her.
Williams’ bond was set at 1,000.
