WASHINGTON D.C. (WKZO AM/FM) — The National Transportation Board has issued its report, (click here to see full report) They say their primary finding was that there was a failure to communicate, and it may have cost lives.The same thing went wrong in Kalamazoo, that went wrong on 9-11 when terrorists flew high-jacked airliners into the twin towers. First responders were unable to communicate effectively.
It’s called “interoperability”.
The NTSB says if there had been one dispatch center in Kalamazoo, police might have been able to intercept suspect Charles Pickett Jr., who was first reported weaving through traffic, 22 minutes, and 14 miles away from the spot on North Westnedge where nine members of the Chain Gang Cycling Club were struck and five died.
The NTSB issued two recommendations. That the County pursue 911 consolidation, and that the City, County and Kalamazoo Township Police Departments undergo a review by the Michigan State 911 Committee and implement any recommendations they offer.
The interoperability issue became a national news item in the review of Uber driver Jason Dalton’s actions before he allegedly started shooting people. Some reporters speculated that if a passenger who accused Jason Dalton of taking a reckless ride on West Main hadn’t been passed off to three different dispatchers as Dalton skipped through different jurisdictions and police had been able to intercept Dalton before he allegedly shot anyone, it might have been a different day.
Interoperability failures also delayed the response to the Icy pile up on I-94 near Galesburg that wrecked a record number of vehicles and killed a truck driver.
