Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk says Brittany Zimmerman likely would not have been saved, even if Madison police were dispatched to her home following a disconnected 911 call from her cell phone around the time she was murdered. During a meeting with reporters on Tuesday, Falk decline to speculate on if police could have caught her killer if officers had been called Zimmerman's apartment.
Falk did listen to the call, but says she's not allowed to comment on the content or reveal any information about what was on it. Police have said there was evidence in the call that should have made the dispatcher call back or send police.
Not only did the dispatcher not return Zimmerman's call, but didn't alert police to a 911 call she did return shortly after Zimmerman's. Police were notified by 911 officials, who thought the returned call was to Brittany's cell. So, police tracked that down for two weeks until realizing it was unrelated.
Meanwhile, Falk has some issues with 911 Director Joe Norwick. He told reporters last week there was no need to apologize for the handling of Zimmerman's call. And he misled the media over the fact that the dispatcher involved had been transferred to another county department. Falk says she disagrees with his handling of the situation, but she still has confidence in his ability to lead the center. Falk says she has no plans to fire or demote Norwick. The dispatcher is still being reviewed.
WIBA's Robin Colbert contributed to this report.
