Without benefit of hindsight, could we expect 911 operator to grasp gravity of Powell situation?

After a six minute 911 call from the social worker that dropped off Josh Powell’s two sons was released, many people were frustrated with the dispatcher, but 97.3 KIRO FM host Dori Monson asked his listeners if it is fair for us to expect the dispatcher to understand the gravity of the situation without knowing all we know now about what was to occur.

“We all have the benefit of hindsight. We know now that Josh Powell took a hatchet to his little boys before setting the house on fire, but nobody knew that at the time this call was made. Is it fair to assume that this worker should have been able to grasp the gravity of the situation when this call was made Sunday afternoon?” asked Monson.

The 911 call began with Elizabeth, the social worker, giving the 911 operator a description of what had occurred when she dropped off 5-year-old Braden and 7-year-old Charles at the Powell residence.

Listen to 911 call from social worker at Josh Powell’s home

Elizabeth: I’m on a supervised visitation for a court ordered visit, and something really weird has happened. The kids went into the house and the biological parent, his name is Josh Powell, will not let me in the door. What should I do?”

The operator began by asking Elizabeth for the address. She didn’t have it handy, but as she searched she continued telling the operator more about the situation.

Elizabeth: I could hear one of the kids crying but he still wouldn’t let me in.
(Elizabeth continues looking for address)
Elizabeth: I think I need help right away. He’s on a very short leash with DSHS and CPS has been involved.

After locating the address, the two become confused speaking about who the supervisor was on this visit.

Operator: Who is there to exercise their visitation?
Elizabeth: I am, the visit is with Josh Powell? Operator: Who is supervising?
Elizabeth: I supervise.
Operator: So you supervise and you’re doing the visit? You supervise yourself.
Elizabeth: I supervise myself. I’m the supervisor here.

Producer Jake notes the social worker has identified Josh Powell by name multiple times a few minutes into the conversation.

“He doesn’t know who Josh Powell is. That’s a problem. I’m surprised by that, that someone doesn’t know who Josh Powell is down in Pierce County. It certainly has been a high profile case, that’s a problem,” says Monson.

At one point, the social worker tried to explain who Josh Powell was.

Elizabeth: He’s the husband of missing Susan Powell. This is a high-profile case.”

“Here’s what he knows right now, three minutes and thirty-five seconds into the call, that she’s a contracted worker with the state. She’s walking the kids up to the house, the guy who’s supposed to be supervised visiting the kids grabbed the kids, locked the door. She smelled gasoline from inside the house. That DSHS has him on a short leash. That Josh Powell is a person of interest in his wife’s disappearance and that it’s a high-profile case. With all of that information, don’t you react with the greatest of urgency?” asked Monson.

“This is so frustrating to listen to for us because we know how this turns out,” says Jake.

“I’m trying to be fair here, I really am, because there is a huge chasm between the information we have now and the information they had at the time,” said Monson. “Again, we did not know, he did not know, the social worker didn’t know, nobody knew that Josh Powell, while they’re talking here, is probably raising that hatchet around his sons and getting ready to burn the house down.”

“But the fact that it took three minutes and thirty-five seconds for them to reach an understanding of what the situation is,” said Monson. “The communication is not great on either end, is my interpretation.”

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor