Why would a cop take not take prompt action to a child abuse callTook 24 Minutes to Respond to a Call ?

Question

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer has been suspended for failing to take "prompt action" to a child abuse call. 

First Coast News broke the story last December when police arrested two Navy sailors for aggravated child abuse. 

Police arrested Brittane Dominique Stanard, 22, and her boyfriend, 25-year-old Kahlil Mabuyi, December 4 at their Arlington Apartment. 

Neighbors heard a little girl being beaten and called 911. 

Caller: "The people upstairs are about to kill their daughter! They are beating her and beating her and she is screaming." 

Neighbors told First Coast News the beating continued for another 24 minutes. 

"At first you could tell it was with a belt," said Raychael Harkey. "Then it went to a hand, then throwing the child around the room." 

Neighbors called 911 two more times, begging for help. 

Caller: "I need to go up there!" 

911 Dispatch: "Ma'am, no, no no. Ma'am, do not. Let the police handle that. You don't need to go up there and get shot or hurt. Ok?" 

Caller: "No, but she's gonna die if they keep hurting her like this." 

911 Dispatch: "Ma'am, the officers are on the way and in the area. Do not go up there." 

The officer close by is Officer Gabriel E. Dobkin. 

An internal affairs report shows Officer Dobkin 2.9 miles away writing a speeding ticket. 

During the stop, the report indicates Dobkin saw a truck pull into a drug store parking lot with expired tags. 

Internal Affairs investigators say Dobkin wrote out the ticket and then sat in the drug store parking lot, waiting for the driver of the truck to leave the store. 

At that moment, a priority one call for a "battery in progress" came, the most serious on JSO's scale. 

Internal Affairs says Dobkin went inside the store to find the truck driver to see if he had insurance. 

Dobkin fingerprinted the driver, and wrote him a ticket before driving away to help a little girl in trouble. 

Officer Dobkin told Internal Affairs he has "had many of these type of calls involving children and parents," and he believed this one to be, "routine and not life-threatening," according to the report. 

The officer also told investigators, "he didn't remember ever hearing or reading about the victim being five years old," saying it wouldn't have mattered to him because he considered the call routine. 

Dobkin has been found to have further endangered the child by not responding immediately. 

He has also been reprimanded for initially cancelling his backup officer but then calling him back on for help. Dobkin told investigators he didn't know why he did that. 

Officer Dobkin has also been cited for changing the call from "battery in progress" to an investigation before arriving to the scene. Dobkin told Internal Affairs he based that call on his experience and belief the call didn't warrant a priority one dispatch. 

Internal Affairs found Officer Dobkin incompetent. Investigators said he failed to take prompt action and failed to conform to work standards. 

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office would not comment on the matter. 

Dobkin had been reprimanded in 2004 for incompetence for failing to respond to calls for service, and for initiating traffic stops on numerous occasions without notifying dispatch.

Allow me to translate:
Dobkin told investigators he didn't know why he did that. 
Dobkin knew perfectly well that his reason for doing that would get his *** in jail.

Officer Dobkin has also been cited for changing the call from "battery in progress" to an investigation before arriving to the scene. Dobkin told Internal Affairs he based that call on his experience and belief the call didn't warrant a priority one dispatch.
Dobkin thought that he could play the odds. A lot of child abuse calls may have turned out to be some busybody pinko upset that some parents are spanking their 8 year old. But in this game you don't play the odds. You assume it's bad, because not assuming that can get you (or somebody else) dead.

Internal Affairs found Officer Dobkin incompetent. 
Internal affairs gets a clue.

Investigators said he failed to take prompt action and failed to conform to work standards. 
Internal affairs also isn't too bad at covering the department's butt.

I agree with those who say he should be fired. He clearly doesn't get it.

cynthiajean222 · Accepted Answer

This is another example of how cops seem to care more about writing tickets than they do about "protecting and serving" the public.  It's always a joke when I see their motto, since very few of them behave that way.  In this particular case, the cop most likely doesn't have psychic powers and if he did, he was wrong.  He should never have "assumed" it was "nothing".  He's an idiot, obviously.  If he had anything on the ball, he'd have a real job instead of one that just harrasses people.

dlee_75 · Answer

I think that this officer should most diffinatly be fired. This guy recieved a battery in progress call. The age of the person involved is of little consqeunce I feel that the idea of protecting and serving are for the entire public and the officer did not have the right to sit and try and make up his/her own mind about what call was important or if someone was dying. I think if it all came out in the wash this officer is like many that the PD's are trying to employee these college educated people that are afraid to get involved in a physical confrontation. They want to revamp the police to make them less aggressive the only problem with this is that no one has revamped the criminal to make them less aggressive or any less dangerous.

troytxag93 · Answer

Cant say it was justified or not, having not been there.  And knowing how the press and IA are, I find it difficult to make a final call on the situation.

Having said that, when I get a hot call the person I am out on traffic with gets a lucky break.  I'd rather do real police work than write tickets all day.

vanessa · Answer

At 13 you basically have no rights. He has the right to require you to get your hair cut. You only got injured because you did not do what you were told and " 2 big brooses/bumps on the back of my head" is not child abuse. You are a spoiled brat.

TotalRecipeHound · Answer

I don't understand your question. This man should either be fired or moved to a position where emergency calls are not part of his job description.  Clearly internal affairs found him incompetant for his current job, but don't let him be hired by another place!

Anonymous · Answer

I think that it is just terrible what happen to that poor little girl. I hope, that she is place in a good foster care home, where her new parents will treat her better and raise her properly.

So that she doesn't grow up to be short-sighted and angry, wasting her time posting news articles about cops on Yahoo!Answers.

bob n · Answer

there was a sale on day old donuts at Krispy Kream. Cops suck when you need them there is always a reason why there not there but if you don't have your seat belt on, woooooaaaaa. your busted..

&#39;&#39; GUV &#39;&#39; · Answer

weel,i know your going to give me a bad rating here because you hate cops and the only posts you put on here are bashing cops. but i will answer this as frankly as possible. you do not know the entire story. perhaps he has been there before and expected a different outcome.perhaps dispatch put the call out late or held it.perhaps the media is just doing what they do,which is getting ratings. perhaps he has been punished and and possibly fired,so what are you complaining about. and why not put the blame on the navy guy responsible for the crime in the first place. you folks expect alot,and give little.

lou b · Answer

Snoop....if EVEN Internal Affairs doesn't get it...then read'em and weep. I'm UK and I CANNOT ******* believe that apeman got elected AGAIN by a faulty count. My heart goes out to you people. xxx

Anonymous · Answer

Don't generalize. Not all of us are like that. Why that officer acted that way is unbelievable.

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Why would a cop take not take prompt action to a child abuse callTook 24 Minutes to Respond to a Call ?

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