Father of murdered North Port woman lobbies for 911 certification

Sgt. Rick Goff, the father of Denise Amber Lee, a North Port woman who was kidnapped and murdered in January, testified this afternoon in Tallahassee. He urged lawmakers to pass legislation that would establish a voluntary statewide certification program for 911 dispatchers.

"We think her life would have been saved without a doubt if it had been handled correctly," Goff told the Senate Government Operations Committee. He added if there had been better training for 911 dispatchers, "She would be alive with us today and taking care of her babies."   

The bill's sponsor state Sen. David Aronberg, R-Greenacres, described how Denise Amber Lee, after being abducted from her home, managed to attract the attention of a female driver who noticed someone banging on a car window and screaming. 

The driver called 911, but her call was never responded to by patrol officers who were nearby.

"When I drafted this bill, it was before this tragedy, " Sen. Aronberg said. "Right now there are no standards.  There is nothing in the law."   

 

The committee passed the bill unanimously.

Although the legislation is voluntary, the backers of the bill say it would encourage standardized protocols and more training for 911 dispatchers.

"Since it is a tough budget year, we can't mandate it, " Sen. Aronberg  noted at the hearing.