Eddie Polec murder
inspires 911 improvements

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

It’s been more than 11 years since the brutal murder of Fox Chase teen Eddie Polec on the front steps of St. Cecilia’s Church by a gang of suburban teens, and most of the key figures connected to the incident have moved on in their professional and personal lives.
Kathy and John Polec, the victim’s parents, have resigned from public life after years of campaigning for reform of the city’s 911 emergency communications system.
All seven teen defendants convicted of crimes in the slaying have served state prison time. Four have been released, while the others remain behind bars.
Police Inspector John Norris, then commander of the Northeast Patrol Division, later became chief of the department’s internal affairs bureau before retiring in 2003.
Ed Rendell, the mayor who found himself on the hot seat after 911 tapes revealed a series of failures in the city’s emergency communications system on the night of the killing, won re-election to a second four-year term in 1995, then won the governor’s seat in 2002.
But through all of that, the Police Radio Advisory Board has remained as a community watchdog of, and advocate for, the 911 system. The board’s president, Paul Andris, on Feb. 1 updated members of the 8th Police District Advisory Council on the board’s ongoing efforts to promote efficient operation and community understanding of 911.
After the Polec murder, Rendell ordered a civilian commission to evaluate the performance of 911, Andris said. The PRAB was created as a result of the commission’s findings.
The system receives about 3.3 million calls a year — about 9,000 per day. Operators answer about 99 percent of them within two seconds. About one-third of the calls come from cell phones.
The important thing for callers to keep in mind, according to the board leader, is to give operators clear, specific and detailed information during emergency calls.
Based on the details supplied by the caller, the system prioritizes each call on a scale of 0 to 6. The "0" calls, such as an "officer assist" or "officer down," get highest priority. Police in the area of the incident are expected to stop what they’re doing and respond immediately.
Lesser priorities, like disturbances, illegal parking and disorderly crowds, may not see immediate response from police on busy nights when there are higher priorities pending, such as a crime in progress or person with a weapon.
"A lot of people blame 911 for (delays), but it’s not 911 at all," Andris said.
Operators will ask several specific questions of callers depending on the emergency. They’ll ask, "What happened?" "Where did it happen?" and for a description of the perpetrators including gender, race, height, weight, age, hair color, clothing and weapons. They’ll also ask for a description of any getaway vehicle and additional information that might assist in capturing the suspect.
Calls into 911 automatically generate some information for operators, too. All land lines and some cell phones produce a location and telephone number of the caller that appears on the operator’s computer monitor.
This helps police tremendously in cases in which the caller may be unable to speak directly to an operator — such as a home invasion.
Even if a caller can’t speak to an operator, Andris said, the caller should not hang up the phone, because operators can hear activity going on in the room as background noise. Simply put the phone down, but leave the line open.
All 911 calls are recorded and kept by police for at least 30 days. Important calls are retained longer. These calls may be related to a criminal prosecution or to a civilian complaint of poor service.
According to Andris, the 911 system has a formal procedure in place to handle complaints. If a caller feels that an operator isn’t doing his or her job properly, the caller can ask to speak to a supervisor. Operators are not police officers, but uniformed police supervisors are available around the clock.
"You really have to work the system hard to get the service you need," Andris said. "You should ask to speak to a supervisor if you’re not getting service."
Civilians should always ask for the operator’s ID number when calling in an emergency.
The 911 system offers accommodations for special callers including a telecommunications device for the hearing impaired and translators for about 60 languages.
Perhaps the greatest challenge for the 911 system today is dealing with prank callers, Andris said. The system receives about 84,000 such calls each year, mostly from youths who may not understand the full ramifications of their actions.
Prank calls occupy vital telephone lines that may be needed at the very same moment for a real emergency. Also, they often tie up police patrol cars on unnecessary and fictitious investigations.
Calling a fraudulent emergency into 911 is a felony. There are many ways police can trace prank 911 calls.
According to Andris, the police department is in the process of remodeling the 911 room to include computerized mapping at each operator station. Also, the department continues to refine the digital police radio dispatch system that it implemented just over three years ago.
In other 8th PDAC business:
• The council introduced its new officers, who were elected during an executive board session following the group’s January general meeting.
Former vice chairman Larry Mitchell is the new chairman, replacing longtime chairman Milt Foster, who retired from the board. Sean McAleer, who represents City Councilman James Kenney’s office on the council, is the new vice chairman, while Marie Gallus remains secretary and Carol Mitchell treasurer.
• The board recognized Officers Melissa Green and Ronald Schnauffer as Officers of the Month for November for capturing an armed robbery suspect in a wooded area near the 8400 block of Frankford Ave. on Nov. 10.
The suspect allegedly robbed the same victim at gunpoint twice that early morning, including once after the victim was returning to his home from being interviewed by investigators at the police station.
Officers William Snow and Edward Sadowski were honored as Officers of the Month for December for capturing two armed robbery suspects who allegedly mugged a couple at gunpoint on the 4600 block of Kendrick St. on Dec. 28 and previously robbed six area convenience stores.
The officers arrested the armed men inside a convenience store on the 9000 block of Frankford Ave. about two hours after the alleged mugging.
• Street Smarts-Philadelphia Highway Traffic Safety Project, SAFE KIDS Coalition of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Northeast Auto Outlet will sponsor a free child safety seat inspection at Northeast Auto Outlet, 3301 Grant Ave., this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Appointments are required. For information, call Donna Ferraro at 215-985-2534.
According to the sponsoring organizations, four out of five child safety seats are used incorrectly. Attendees will learn the proper way to install and use the seats.
• The next 8th PDAC meeting will be on Wednesday, March 1, at 7 p.m. at Academy and Red Lion roads. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com