Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Critics of the Second Amendment argue a number of things, but one is in response to claims that we need guns to defend ourselves. They argue that instead of using a firearm, all we need to do is call the police.
Now, this argument has flaws. For one thing, if I knew five minutes out I’d need a police officer, that would be one thing, but that’s not really how it works. In the best of circumstances, help is minutes away when you only have a matter of seconds. Plus, hundreds of millions of Americans don’t have the best of circumstances.
Another flaw appears to be just what you’re supposed to do when the 911 operator hangs up on you.
The New Orleans Police Department has put out an arrest warrant for one of its own in a case with an unusual criminal charge. Precious Stephens, 25, is a police dispatcher who is accused of not recording information or simply hanging up on emergency 911 calls. After the pattern was discovered, she fled. She is now accused of criminal malfeasance in office and interfering with an emergency communication.
According to the New Orleans Police Department, Stephens deliberately brushed aside or ignored the emergency calls of citizens:
“Working as a 911 operator with the Orleans Parish Communications District at the time, she is wanted for allegedly disconnecting 911 calls deliberately without obtaining necessary emergency information or relaying such emergencies to the other dispatchers for aid,” the NOPD noted in a press release. “The report was taken on August 23, 2021.”
Stephens has been charged with malfeasance of office, which is kind of a rare charge.
However, I can’t help but wonder just how many people were hurt or possibly even killed because she just didn’t want to be bothered with doing her job.
Now, granted, this is a rare circumstance. Most emergency services operators are dedicated individuals who are proud of the role they play in helping keep people safe. I’ve known more than a few in my lifetime and they’ve all been that way.
But I somehow doubt Stephens is the only one.
Currently, she’s on the run trying to avoid the charges, which almost never works. However, I suspect many more are just simply fired for what they’ve done and we never really hear about it. How many times have we heard about people calling the police in what seems like an emergency situation and they never show up?
It kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
So why do I have guns? Because even if I do try to call the police, there’s no guarantee that the dispatcher will even record my information. That means I may well find myself on my own for more than a few minutes, and some people out there think I should be taking on violent, dangerous criminals with…what? A resounding round of sea chanties?
Yeah, I don’t think so.
Personally, I’ll keep my guns so I can make sure I can keep my family safe. If the police show up in time and no one gets hurt, so much the better, but I’d just as soon not have to take the chance. Especially if you have 911 operators hanging up on people.