'Pure Human Error:' 911 Didn't Tell Police About Guns

PITTSBURGH -- The chief of emergency services for Allegheny County said it was "pure human error" that led to the omission of the possibility of weapons at a domestic call that ultimately ended with the fatal shooting of three Pittsburgh police officers last week.

"There's no excuse for it," Bob Full said. "We're certainly not going to color it as anything other than a terrible mistake. It's an individual mistake."

Video: Watch Bob Mayo's Report

Speaking with Channel 4 Action News on Tuesday, Full said it's true that a 911 call-taker failed to note in the call that brought officers to Richard Poplawski's home that there might be weapons in the house.

"I can't apologize enough. There are no words that can be said that could help them through this terrible time, with our responsibility in this matter," Full said.

When Officers Paul Sciullo and Stephen Mayhle arrived at the house on Fairfield Street in Stanton Heights early Saturday morning, they were shot to death, as was Officer Eric Kelly who stopped to help on his way home. Poplawski is charged with three counts of homicide.

"First off, we feel so terribly about the circumstances and feel for the families. And it'll never be anything that we could do enough to express our sorrow," Full said. "With that said, though, in this particular case, our call-taker did not follow through with the appropriate training that she had received and make the appropriate notation that there was weapons in the house."
Video: Watch The Interview With Bob Full

In a call placed by Poplawski's mother to a 911 operator, Full said there was information that did not go to the call dispatcher or the police.

"We accept that omission. And, you know, quite frankly why it happened or whatever, it was pure human error. And a terrible thing that occurred," Full said.

Full did not identify the 911 operator. He said she's in a fragile state and is on paid administrative leave and being helped through the County Assistance Program.

"We'll use this as a focal point to make sure that this never happens again, in the name of those great officers and those brave officers that went into that (domestic call)," Full said.

Wow, talk about throwing someone under the bus. Although some blame could be put on this dispatcher every cop knows that Domestics are one of the most dangerous calls and officers should always assume there are weapons. Blame can be put on both sides here IF someone HAS to get blamed.

When it's your time it's your time.... RIP guys

Wow, talk about throwing someone under the bus. Although some blame could be put on this dispatcher every cop knows that Domestics are one of the most dangerous calls and officers should always assume there are weapons. Blame can be put on both sides here IF someone HAS to get blamed.

When it's your time it's your time.... RIP guys

If you are really a police officer you better hope the next time you go on a call that the 911 operator gives you all the information so you can go home to your family. But you must be a civilian or a 911 operator or dispatcher because you obviously don't understand.

You have to be the biggest idiot on this web site, not to mention the planet. How dare you blame the fallen officers for a mistake made by someone else. Regardless of the type of call, anytime weapons are involved the officers should be made aware of it. Most of us would agree that if we knew the guy was armed with any type of weapon we would try making contact via the phone or treat it as a barricaded subject. The officers had no information he was armed with assault rifles and they should have been told by the dispatcher, if she knew of course. The 911 operator never put that information on the CAD, so the dispatcher had no idea. The officers did nothing wrong other then to trust the 911 operator with their lives. How sad.

You better hope when it's your time, it's really not your time. So keep your head stuck up your *** and see where that gets you.

Wow, talk about throwing someone under the bus. Although some blame could be put on this dispatcher every cop knows that Domestics are one of the most dangerous calls and officers should always assume there are weapons. Blame can be put on both sides here IF someone HAS to get blamed.

When it's your time it's your time.... RIP guys

If you are really a police officer you better hope the next time you go on a call that the 911 operator gives you all the information so you can go home to your family. But you must be a civilian or a 911 operator or dispatcher because you obviously don't understand.

You have to be the biggest idiot on this web site, not to mention the planet. How dare you blame the fallen officers for a mistake made by someone else. Regardless of the type of call, anytime weapons are involved the officers should be made aware of it. Most of us would agree that if we knew the guy was armed with any type of weapon we would try making contact via the phone or treat it as a barricaded subject. The officers had no information he was armed with assault rifles and they should have been told by the dispatcher, if she knew of course. The 911 operator never put that information on the CAD, so the dispatcher had no idea. The officers did nothing wrong other then to trust the 911 operator with their lives. How sad.

You better hope when it's your time, it's really not your time. So keep your head stuck up your *** and see where that gets you.[/quot

Just let these men rest in peace. This is not a time or place to judge. If you're a LEO, then read the facts of the case, get all the information you can get and learn from this entire incident. Our job is a dangerous one. As much as dispatchers piss me off sometimes, I do appreciate everything they do.

It was the dispatcher's fault. She knew she should have asked more questions and when she heard the word weapons and legal, she figured it was no big deal.

TO ALL THE CALL TAKERS: IT IS A BIG DEAL! Hopefully you won't get blood on your hands because of omission.

Everyone needs to learn from this and use good officer safety.

Not for nothing but we should assume that there are weapons on every single call that we respond to and treat every call as such until we have the situation under control.

Not for nothing but we should assume that there are weapons on every single call that we respond to and treat every call as such until we have the situation under control.

EXACTLY!!

I understand that we have to assume that all subjects are armed, especially on domestics. On most domestics we look, listen and then make a decision to enter or not. Once we enter, we investigate.

However, if the dispatcher told you the subject was armed, or in this case heavily armed, would you still enter or try and make contact with the subject via phone? Would you have the dispatcher try calling and ask the subject to exit? And if he refuses to exit would you treat it as an armed barricaded subject or enter the residence?

We go to domestics everyday and we assume everyone is armed. But you can't treat every domestic as an armed barricaded subject, unless you have first hand knowledge the subject is armed. In this case they weren't told he was armed so they entered like most of us would have done.

The officers in Pittsburgh didn't do anything wrong, the 911 operator did. We need to train our dispatchers and 911 operators a little better and pay them a little more money. We depend on them to survive and go home every night. So lets see who the first moron is to disagree.

I understand that we have to assume that all subjects are armed, especially on domestics. On most domestics we look, listen and then make a decision to enter or not. Once we enter, we investigate.

However, if the dispatcher told you the subject was armed, or in this case heavily armed, would you still enter or try and make contact with the subject via phone? Would you have the dispatcher try calling and ask the subject to exit? And if he refuses to exit would you treat it as an armed barricaded subject or enter the residence?

We go to domestics everyday and we assume everyone is armed. But you can't treat every domestic as an armed barricaded subject, unless you have first hand knowledge the subject is armed. In this case they weren't told he was armed so they entered like most of us would have done.

The officers in Pittsburgh didn't do anything wrong, the 911 operator did. We need to train our dispatchers and 911 operators a little better and pay them a little more money. We depend on them to survive and go home every night. So lets see who the first moron is to disagree.

So every time there's a domestic and weapons in the house we should call and ask the subject to come outside? Then what? What do you do when he says no? Do you call out SWAT? Sorry, it doesn't work like that. It's a risky profession and sometimes you have to go do it. You signed up. Terrible things happen and it's nobody else's fault, but the killer. Guess what, there are weapons in every house and on every domestic.

I understand that we have to assume that all subjects are armed, especially on domestics. On most domestics we look, listen and then make a decision to enter or not. Once we enter, we investigate.

However, if the dispatcher told you the subject was armed, or in this case heavily armed, would you still enter or try and make contact with the subject via phone? Would you have the dispatcher try calling and ask the subject to exit? And if he refuses to exit would you treat it as an armed barricaded subject or enter the residence?

We go to domestics everyday and we assume everyone is armed. But you can't treat every domestic as an armed barricaded subject, unless you have first hand knowledge the subject is armed. In this case they weren't told he was armed so they entered like most of us would have done.

The officers in Pittsburgh didn't do anything wrong, the 911 operator did. We need to train our dispatchers and 911 operators a little better and pay them a little more money. We depend on them to survive and go home every night. So lets see who the first moron is to disagree.

So every time there's a domestic and weapons in the house we should call and ask the subject to come outside? Then what? What do you do when he says no? Do you call out SWAT? Sorry, it doesn't work like that. It's a risky profession and sometimes you have to go do it. You signed up. Terrible things happen and it's nobody else's fault, but the killer. Guess what, there are weapons in every house and on every domestic.

It is called getting the complainant to step outside. When people do not exit the house then you have to assume the worst anyway.