GLEN BURNIE, Md. -- A Maryland 911 dispatcher is under investigation after falling asleep while taking an emergency call.
On the 911 tape, the operator can be heard snoring loudly while the caller tries to get his attention.
Patricia Berg said she awoke after hearing a sound in her home and called 911 at 2:40 a.m. last Thursday.
The grandmother from Glen Burnie, Md., told the operator what happened, and then the line went quiet, she said.
At first, Berg said she though he might have been typing notes. Then she heard the snoring.
"And then the snores started getting louder, and I was sitting there going, 'This can't be happening to me.'"
The operator snored for almost two minutes before Berg got his attention.
"Hello?" Berg can be heard saying. "Yes?" the operator responds.
And then the operator couldn't remember who she was. "What's the problem?" he says.
"I already told you," Berg says on the tape. "You don't remember me letting you know what was wrong.?"
Authorities say they are embarrassed by the incident. They say the operator who fell asleep has been a county dispatcher since 1993 with no problems. They say they are still trying to decide if he should be suspended or fired.
On the 911 tape, the operator can be heard snoring loudly while the caller tries to get his attention.
Patricia Berg said she awoke after hearing a sound in her home and called 911 at 2:40 a.m. last Thursday.
The grandmother from Glen Burnie, Md., told the operator what happened, and then the line went quiet, she said.
At first, Berg said she though he might have been typing notes. Then she heard the snoring.
"And then the snores started getting louder, and I was sitting there going, 'This can't be happening to me.'"
The operator snored for almost two minutes before Berg got his attention.
"Hello?" Berg can be heard saying. "Yes?" the operator responds.
And then the operator couldn't remember who she was. "What's the problem?" he says.
"I already told you," Berg says on the tape. "You don't remember me letting you know what was wrong.?"
Authorities say they are embarrassed by the incident. They say the operator who fell asleep has been a county dispatcher since 1993 with no problems. They say they are still trying to decide if he should be suspended or fired.