chad michael sheets

all the people that are talking bad about this operator are very ignorant. You don't know this girl. I do and know she cares and knows the importance of her job. She is also a volunteer firefighter. She cares alot about other people and there well being. It's weird you will not sign your name, if you are going to bad mouth someone at least be man or woman enough to.

As a 911 employee there are several things I would say that were not professional and not proper. It took the operator three times to get the address. I listened to the tape and got it on the first try. Here's another question for everybody. If you listen to the tape, at around the 3:17 mark, you finally hear the station tones going off in the background. Why the delay? Another thing, the caller plainly stated that Dr. Boyd had a cord around his neck and that the caller didn't know if he had killed himself or was murdered. A bell should have went off in the operator's head. As per the policy she should have sent the police out first. Instead, the Salisbury Fire Department reponds very quickly to a cardiac arrest call, not a murder or possible suicide call, allowing the firefighters to enter a non-safe environment and a MURDER scene! Think about it. The operator needs some refresher courses or some common sense?

Uncle Catoe

I didn't want to listen to this stressful call but after all of the comments and criticism, I wanted to make my own decision. I listened carefully and believe that the call was handled properly. I had some difficulty understanding what was said even though I had already read the stories in the paper about this sad tragedy and was aware of the facts (i.e., the address, names and the circumstances.) The 911 operator did not have the benefit of knowing the story beforehand. She asked for the address several times. This was reasonable. The first time the address was given in an excited, incomplete phrase. The second time, the repetition was not much better. The last recitation of the address was understandable, but still incorrect. The caller said "Pine Tree Lane," not "Pine Tree Road," the correct address. There are at least two(2) Pine Tree named streets that I know of: the one in Salisbury (RD) East Spencer(DR?). I am not aware of a Pine Tree Lane, although one may exist. The caller said "Pine Tree Lane." I think that it is commendable that the 911 operator was able to dispatch the law enforcement and EMS responders correctly with the fragmentary information she was able to elicit. Remember that the caller was on a cell phone (I believe) and not the land line which would have given the operator the correct location. I have had to make the same call to 911 upon discovering a deceased person and was asked many of the same questions that were asked here. The operator presumably was reading the standard questions required for such a situation. The operator cannot see the condition of the deceased and as a matter of routine asks about CPR, breathing, etc. There is always the possibility that help can be rendered by a caller in some situations. We know though hindsight that Dr. Boyd was beyond medical help when 911 was called. The operator did not. Additionally, the operator did not need to tell the caller to exit the house as the caller had already stated that she was OUTSIDE because she could not stand the sight, having already described a horrible crime scene in the bedroom. All in all, I believe that the operator handled this matter professionally and "by the book." Its pretty easy to criticize someone else's performance with full information in hindsight. This whole event has caused a lot of emotional responses and rightly so, but underpaid operators in a highly stressful job should not be unfairly criticized by citizens who may not be aware of the necessary protocols involved in handing emergency calls though our 911 system. I would encourage those who have voiced criticism of the operator's performance to listen to this call again and put yourself in the operator's chair. Hats off to the dedicated professionals at the 911 center for your hard work in this stressful job. I believe that the majority of the people of Rowan County understand your job and appreciate your dedicated performance day in and day out. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. They did not ask for nor deserve this traumatic event and what must be unimaginable grief. May God be with them and comfort all who have been touched by this unfortunate event.

John

It's all too easy to sit back in the comfort of your home or office and critisize someone for the performance of their job duties. Must be great to be perfect and have no problem pointing fingers. Everyone seems to have a problem with 911, or EMS...until they need them.

I always heard that anytime there is a crime committed, the 911 operators job is to keep the caller on the phone until the officers get to the scene. This would also be a means to keeping the caller calm until the Police get there. Did you ever think that this caller is telling you she found a man with a cord around his neck, well the murderer could STILL BE somewhere in the area. To me that should have been a big issue. Her life was in just as much danger being in a crime scene where someone was found dead. What was she supposed to do just stand around waiting till the police got there? Bad call. Maybe ask if there was a neighbor or someone else out in the area. And please quit trying to make the caller out to be in the wrong for going into her bosses house. This was a man that was always at work for his patients and did not show up. His house was 1 mile from his office. She may have tried to call but no answer so she went over there. If she had worked for him for awhile maybe she was worried about him and went to his house. Maybe she had already called the wife and asked had she heard from him and maybe the wife suggested to her to go over to the house. There are alot that you all may not know that transpired. I would have went to my bosses house, but I think if the doors would have been unlocked and he had not come to the door that is where I would have stopped and called the Police. The police are there to help you. I have had to call them before when I thought someone had come in my house but to find out I didn't get the doors closed good. So always know you can call on them.

When I said the caller I meant the call taker meaning the operator...now are you retarded?

to the person who commented that 'the caller didnt know he was a doctor'... are you retarded? the caller worked for Dr. Boyd, of course she knew he was a dr! I still dont get why the employee/caller walked into the mans house and into the bathroom to see if he was taking a shower. Strange.

Everyone just needs to shut-up and stop commenting on this whole situation because it does not change anything that has happened and none of us know how we would react in the same situation!

We cannot change what happened, so let's just try to prevent it from happening again. I have been in the 911 center numerous times. The communicators have a stressful job (I don't want it) and most of them do a good job. There are some "bad apples" up there, just like in every other business. One thing I would change is for the television to be turned off permanently. I cannot tell you how many times I have been up there and heard a law enforcement officer calling on the radio and the dispatcher was "spaced out" watching the television. Rowan County will get sued one day, and they will lose. Inattention is a major safety issue for our emergency personnel. Let's pay closer attention. For those of you who are doing a good job...good job! For those of you who aren't, let's step it up a notch. You can do it!

The discussion of the 911 call has been interesting. There seems to be two sides that are prominent in the argument: those for lynching the communicator, and those for praising her. I do not think either position is appropriate. This call could not have been fully prepared for. Period. There are trillions of possible circumstances a communicator could be faced with when answering the 911 phone. One cannot possibly prepare for all of them. However, there is most certainly a means of preparing oneself for the craziness that is sure to ensue throughout the course of ones career as a communicator. Training should be a priority in all areas of emergency services. We also need to remember that the people answering the 911 phones are simply that: People. Humans. Imperfect. None of us do everything right all of the time. Lay off this communicators back. She reacted based on her training and experience. That is all she could have done. Does she need to receive remedial training? Of course. But, that does not warrant all of the verbal attacks posted on this site. I must say, I am disappointed at the levels of immaturity demonstrated in the comments I've read. Grow up.

Eventhough I am not personally a 911 dispatcher, my position allows me to see the stressful situation that they are under on a regular basis. I think dispatching is one of the most grueling and taxing jobs there is, and I have deep admiration for those who do their job well. However, with the county budget the way it is, there isn't much to attract highly trained or well educated potential employees, and those who are, can quickly find another job making a much higher salary. With an underpaid, underappreciated, highly taxing job, why should those who are adequately trained and ARE in their area of expertise stay in Rowan County? Honestly, would you?

What are you talking about...the caller didn't know that he was a doctor and all these other facts that have come out, all she knew was a male was in his bed, blue and not responding. Basically all you protector's of the 911 operator are making this job out to be SO difficult and if that is the case then only the adaquate should do it; I didn't apply because it won't be one of my area's of expertise and it doesn't appear that is was your FRIEND's either. Give her a brake, please give US a brake from incompetence...

you need to stop commenting...and taking up for obvious mistakes. The first step is admitting you are wrong....

I don't criticize anything. It is called "proper procedure" and that means the family is notified by authorities, that to tell a family member that a loved one is dead by someone before he is even pronounced dead by authorities. It is just common sense and proper procedure!

People criticizing the 911 operator for telling the employee she could call the doctor's wife assume the 911 operator somehow knew the wife was at the beach, which she didn't. Most people would assume she was in town. Under the circumstances, if the employee, who knew the wife, felt she needed to call her, there was nothing wrong with the 911 operator telling her she could. I appreciate that the enployee's second thought, after calling 911, was to notify the wife. Seems to me she has her priorities in order. Some people will criticize anything.

I'm sorry, but it my boss doesn't show up for work, there is no way I'm going to his home to look for him. And no way I am going into his bathroom when I hear water running. I would just assume he is in the shower. That whole thing was just weird!

I just now listened to that call. Clearly the caller was nearly hyper-ventilating. Is proper procedure to tell a hysterical woman who just found a murdered man that "she can call his wife if she wants to" ??? Did the 911 operator consider that the news should be delivered to the wife by an official, that first that he is known to be deceased? And that the wife's mental reaction to this news may require her needing help from the news? Also, that the caller clearly was NOT the one to deliver this information in her condition, for she could not console herself, much less attend to the reaction of the wife. The 911 operator should have known better than to tell a hysterical woman to notify the wife that her husband was dead when it had not been confirmed by authorities. What if the wife did something to herself or had a heart attack at the news? And he not have been dead? Geeeeez, seems just stuck on stupid response to me.

All this is so sad

While I would hate to have someone critizie my work my job does not deal with life and death. If this operator EVER has to handle a officer shooting I REALLY hope she does a better job. The caller clearly stated the address at least 3 times before the dispatcher every got it right. And telling her it was ok to call the wife was horrible. A very tough job and I hope this dispatcher learns from this. I am sure she is dedicatied but that was a poor job.

That says it all

How does someone tie their own hands behind their back and then strangel themselves?

Get a Life and Volunteer 911!!!!!

Give this women a break. We don't live in NY or CLT where a suburban country club doctor is found dead---everyone involved in this situation is shocked, overwhelmed, and sadden by these events! Get down on your hands and knees and pray that this event is NOT and every day ocurence----------because for some cities it is. Go 911! We need 911 and We Thank and Support You!!

until you see what all goes on at the 911 center you need to keep your remarks to yourself, you have no idea what they do there, the telecommunicator acted in high professionalism regardless of what you all believe, leave it at that.

I think the criticism generated by this call is legitimate and perfectly understandable. If the dispatcher handled the call the way she was trained, then the public needs to be concerned, very concerned, with 9-1-1 standard operating procedure. If she didn't, then it's certainly justifiable for the community to want to know why and what measures are being taken to prevent this from happening in the future. With the Independence Day holiday weekend upon us, and the 9-1-1 center bound to inundated with calls, we'd all like to feel that we are in capable hands when it comes to emergency situations.

U NEED TO STOP THINKING

911 operators are human like the rest of us...we all make mistakes, have bad days, and don't handle things well at times. I hope the operator that took the call will have dialogue with her superiors in regards to this call very soon, if she hasn’t already. If they can find no fault with her, then the blame should be taken off her entirely, and instead, serious consideration needs to be given immediately to procedure protocol! However, my hope is that this situation can be used as a growing tool for this operator and she will be able to use constructive criticism to her advantage to become a better telecommunicator.

A professional 911 operator should be fully prepared for any type of call. That is a job that has a huge amount of responsiblity. It should not be taken lightly. A operator should be fully prepared for high stress situations. It seems to me this operator was not ready or prepared for this job. I hope that this situtaion will be delt with and we will not have any failures in the 911 system in the future.

Dalton B.

The dispatcher happens to me a friend of mine and a close personal friend of my cousin so all the negative comments need to stop....You dont know how to do anything of that stuff and you dont understand it so back the heck off I mean geez!!!! Its so funny how it is soo easy for you to criticize somebody when it is not happening to you but if it was happening to you all you would be able to do is thank them for calming you down. In an extreme situation like that just the slightest words of care would calm you down. So back off her and try to put yourself into her shoes i mean how would you handle it?????????

To the 911 call taker. Thank you for the job you do! It's nice to know you will answer the phone if I ever need help. Maybe you did and maybe you didnt say the right things but in the end the resorce got to the scene and now 3 people are in jail and it all started with you. So to me good job and dont listen to these people who talk out of their butts. I sure dont see any of them knocking the door down to take that job.

Please explain to me why the 911 operator did not first consider the safety of the caller. There was a murder...where was the murderer? Should the 911 operator instruct the caller to get herself to safety until police arrived? I would hope that is what I would be instructed to do if I was in shock.

911 operators come from all walks of life, with varying levels of education and enthusiasm for their jobs. It would not be fair to put them all to shame because of the perceived unprofessional behavior of one bureaucrat who did not take the call to your liking.

TC78

In defense of the 911 operator, everyone makes mistakes! Even on the job! Even trained professionals! All of you who are judging this woman, how are your own job skills? Have you not made mistakes at work? Get over yourselves!!!! Geez!

I think that it was wrong for the 911 dispatcher to agree that she should call his wife and just let her hang up the phone then. I feel that a city official from the beach where she happened to be, or one from Salisbury should have been the individual that announced to his wife that this tragedy is at hand. How unprofessional of the 911 dispatching system. A Murder is a VERY SENSITIVE MATTER; COME ON, especially when it is a LOVED ONE. It was enough for the poor young lady to fine him there in the state he was in.

Yes, yes, yes thank you 911....EXCEPT for the operator that took the 911 call for the Dr. Boyd murder.

I need a hearing-aide? but you just might need assistance with your reading. I clearly said that I "THINK" I heard a chuckle. Now apologize to me for not reading CLEARLY what your thought you saw in my comment. I still stand by my comment that the 911 operator was and still is a JOKE and you just might be too. Last I THOUGHT calls were monitiored for quality control; looks like someone dropped the balls on that call because I witnessed no quality and no control. In the 911 operator's defense just maybe it was her first call EVER...not of the night but EVER; and in that case practice makes perfect but if not what a shame:)

THANKFUL FOR 911

Thank you (911)! I appreciate the job you do and I am so thankful that I have this service when and if needed. You do a tremendous job and I apologize for those who choose to criticize. Bless each and every one of you.

Being a 911 operator is a very difficult and stressful job! With that being said, it is a job that requires you to deal with difficult and stressful situations in a professional manner. Telling other dispatchers in the background that the caller had to go outside because she couldn't look at the body, was unnecessary and unprofessional. The caller said the address at least 3 times before the 911 operator got it, that tells me that she was not focused on her job. Once you answer a 911 line the caller is your priority. You have other dispatchers to help you with the other things around. Dispatchers are taught to never hang up with a caller in a situation such as this. What was she supposed to do until the police arrived. Just stand in the yard alone and cry - it was not what the dispatcher was trained to do nor was is the respectful and courteous thing to do for someone who had just witnessed such a horrible sight. God bless the Boyd family! 911 Operator: Don't be defensive about this. Learn from it and become an excellent operator. I know you haven't worked there very long and this is probably the worst call you've ever taken. Listen to it over and over again & see what you learn from it. If you think it was handled right, talk to your shift supervisor then your director - they'll tell you!

Britt

I think that you all need to learn some respect and i hope that none of you ever call 911 becuase you are a bunch of jerks, most of you would not even be able to get a job up there but somehow you still find time in you busy schedules to talk about others, she happens to be a friend and why in the heck could you not put your names on here!! put yourselfs in there shoes in then talk crap!!

ab

In that same situation, could any of you nay-sayers have handled it any better? With armchair quarterbacking, hindsight is always 20/20.

TO THE PERSON THAT HEARD A CHUCKLE MAYBE U SHOULD GO BACK AND LISTEN TO THIS OVER & OVER AS I DID AFTER I READ UR COMMENT. AS WITH MUCH OF THE GOSSIP THAT IS WRONG.. THAT'S HOW LIES GET SPREAD AROUND I BELEIVE THAT U NEED TO APOLOGIZE TO THE 911 OPERATOR AND GET U A HEARING AID. BECAUSE U ONLY HEARD WHAT U WANTED TO HEAR

I'm not going to give my name but I work in the 911 center, and I think that bottom line, it all comes down to funding. In my short time I have seen tremendous turnover, but certainly understandibly so when you can go to any other surrounding county's 911 center and make between $5000 and $10000 more a year - it's rediculous. Perhaps this should be more of an eye opening opportunity to the County Government and Commissioners as a whole to realize that you can only expect what you put into things and unless county government workers, as a whole, continue to be screwed - this is what you should come to expect.

Although some are bothered, to say the least, by the comments here, stopping their imput does not stop the "chat." In this day and age, either fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view, we see the gossip and talk of the town in blogs. However, this type of speculation and discussion has always occurred after a story like this; this is nothing new. It is only more technilogically advanced. Now we can "hear" what those from other camps are whispering about.

What ever happened to the caller having to stay on the line until the police arrive, Oh I forgott the 911 operator let her go so that she could call the wife if she wanted to....Amazingly STUPID! The think I heard a little chuckle in her voice as she repeated some of the conversation to someone in the background. Very unprofessional...and I think that before she takes another 911 call, she needs more training or let her take the calls about cats being stuck in the tree's...

Robin Stokes

I am simply amazed at the negitive comments on behalf of the Rowan County 911 operators.My thought is ANY person in any type of emergency work deserves the up most respect.Whether its riding in a police car,firetruck,ambulance or sitting in a office answering 911 calls.You can have all the training in the world and remember we are all human and mistakes will be made,I command all of you ..Keep up the good work and may God bless you all as well as the BOYD FAMILY

I understand that 911 operators have alot on their plate, that still doesn't excuse the insensitive ways some of them handle things. Unfortunately, I myself have had to call 911 on several occasions and most of the time they were very professional but I have to agree with most of these comments that, there needs to be some way to become more helpful to people that has just had a trauma and needs some sort of calming down method. I once had to be the one to call 911 when I found my mother dead in her home. And as I recall they were kinda snippy with me when I didn't calm right down. Hello... I just found my mother dead, how could I calm down. My heart really goes out to that poor girl because that is something you never get over. I know I haven't. It get's easier but you never get over it. It would be nice to have some one give you some sort of assurance or something, anything. I know there's not much one person can say when something like this happens and the most important thing is that she did get the information needed and sent help but while that's happening coundn't she have said something to console her? She and the family have my prayers.

After listening to the call and reading the posts written by people claiming to be 911 operators, I am left wondering if perhaps, first, a basic grammar course isn’t in order. It would seem to me that someone with a career in communications could definitely benefit from having command of the English language. Also, like it or not, this is the type of call that attracts national attention. Unfortunately, this call is not indicative of the excellent job that 911 operators perform every day. I have great respect for Rowan County 911 operators as a whole, but I believe that many public servants do not get the respect they deserve simply because of occurrences such as this, where someone performing at a sub-par level is highlighted.

Girl going to the house and going in alone...stupid, Girl calling 9-1-1 and giving the information needed..commendable under the circumstances....9-1-1 telecommunicator...downright ridiculous, he/she is trained to deal with situations as this so all that talk about multi tasking, that comes along with the job and if you can't do the job step down. So whether or not a person has sat in the 9-1-1's operator chair is irreguadless, her response and advice we less than sub-standard and if the young lady would have had to repeat "9 Pine Tree Dr." one more time and mean it was almost commical to listen to the operator, the operator asked crazy questions (does he have a dafibulator?) but couldn't listen up for the critical answers...Amazing! Now as far as the Post is concerned, Im sure they are just delivering the news, no one wants their personal business on display for all to see and read but that is what the news is about, when laws are broken and crimes are committed "we" want to know. The paper does not owe anyone loyalty to not disclose the news the loyalty lies within the family. When the criminals do STUPID stuff that affects their families and friends that is who you should be upset with. Do blame the Post blame the criminals! Like the saying goes "Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger"

In my opinion the 911 operator needs alot of training. Was this her first day on the job. She was of no help at all. I think someone needs to retrain her.

For anyone who doesn't know, The Salisbury Post is a newspaper. Their job is to deliver the news. If you don't like the Salisbury Post then stop reading it. Don't buy a copy and don't read it on the internet.

I find it so interesting how people are being so critical of the Post for providing information. In case people didn't know, a newspaper is supposed to be an objective source of information. It is not to be controlled by local wealthy people who feel that if they use religion and privelege and insults they will get what serves their own personal needs. A man is dead and yes there are questions. These questions will be answered whether the local wealthy people want them answered or not. People here know the truth and some posts have not shown up because the local paper is being controlled. They are not truly objective because they are afraid. Welcome to small town politics. The SBI will release all necessary information and it will come out during the trial. One way or another the information will come out. The tragedy here is that so many people fall into questionable behavior for different reasons.

I love how a lot of the people who are complaining about this section needing to require names (or screennames) fail to input their own names. Gotta love hyposcrisy.

The appllaing comments are from the one who wrote this trashy article you have no idea what really goes on E-9-1-1.I do have a family member that works for Rowan County 9-1-1 and I know the extensive training that goes into the job. I am also familar with some of the other county 9-1-1 centers and I asure we have excpetional state of the art equipment and telecomunicator working for this county.First of all if any fault is laid on anyone it should be one who wrote this article and decided to make this call public call to sell more of this rag you call a newspaper. This poor woman making this call has to live with what she saw for the rest of her live and having this out where everyone can hear your pain is so insensitve. I am in the medical profession and seeing alot of bad things that can happen to people should not be put out for the general public to see and hear. I hope when you go to bed at night you can sleep knowing how you have made this girls life a living hell by making this call public. Sometimes you just keep your mouth shut. I guess you really need to sell papers. I look at your rag on line because it is free. I surly would not waste 50 cents on this rag. I hope if anything every happens to your family member you will be in good hands when you call 911. Lets hope that doesn't end up on the front page of The Salisbury Lie and rag.

This operator obviously need to be trained in "people skills." I know this is stressful for all concerned, but the 911 operator did not, in my opinion, say anything to help calm the caller. I know she was after the facts, but to advise her to call the man's wife is unthinkable.

Alan S.

Ill start by saying, most of the people that have left messages have no idea what they are talking about.Ask your self one question, what would you tell this scared girl??? You people have no idea what goes on up at 911 and you probley never will.. I think that all of you people that have left hateful messages should take the time to think about what you have said.This audio should never have been put on here but its a public document....Who ever said that they hope they never have to deal with Rowan County 911, I hope you dont either(you probley live in my fire distric and I never want to see anyone, especially under bad circumstances)Im also sure that who ever you are, would stay calm and not freak out. I give a thumbs up to ROWAN COUNTY 911 and the lady that called 911, keep up the good work.

It never fails that people like to point the finger and find a "reason" for everything. For those of you that are pointing you finger at the Telecommunicator, listen to the recording again...The Telecommunicator did NOT tell her to call his wife, the caller ASKED...and the Telecommunicator merely told her if she wanted to she could. Telecommunicators are trained and trained well through out the nation. For those of you that have never sit in that chair, how dare you pass judgement!!! Most you could have no clue what it takes to multi-task multiple radio channels, and multiple telephone lines at the same time. You've never been on the phone with a mother whose 2 month old baby is not breathing and a telecommunicator is the only one there to try to calm down mom and try to save the baby at the same time, while not getting emotionally involved. Let's not mention how many calls get handled and lives saved EVERY SINGLE DAY across the nation because the Telecommunicator did their job and did it well. Common sense would tell you not to tell them to call the wife? Then common sense should also tell you that at this point it didn't matter what the telecommunicator said, the caller was going to make that decision on their own regardless of what the telecommunicator told them. If you want to point the finger, point it to Raleigh where several years ago your legislatures passed a law called the Public Record Law that allows this kind of stuff to get posted in the first place. "Enquiring minds" want to know so lets make a law that says this kind of stuff can not be withheld from the media. Lets put this kind of trash all over the internet so the family can loose what little bit of dignity they have left at a time like this. It doesn't matter weather he did anything wrong or not, he's gone. But his wife and kids, they really need every nosey person in Rowan County passing judgement. I think you all need to take a knee and pray. Pray for forgiveness and pray for the family as they are going to need it. Yes, it's all the freedom of the press and the right for you to know. Well when something happens to you or your family members, then understand, the media is coming after you too. 911 Centers are no different when it comes to the release of information so that YOU the public can hear or see what you feel you have the right to know. That's fine when it's someone else, but wait till the day it is you and you might just change your mind. Regardless of the situation, there is a thing call "common decency" that this paper has never seem to get. All they want to do is sell papers and as long as people like you read and support it, you show them that this kind of stuff is ok to print or put on the internet. Before you pass judgement on a Telecommunicator, you might want to look at yourself.

JGW

The poor girl on the phone was in shock with what she had seen, she most likely does not remember the phone call to 911. The 911 system in Rowan county and their employees need a pat on the backs; for a job well done. And so do the FIRE personal and the POLICE department as will as the SHERIFF department, EMT'S IN ALL THAT THEY DO!!! Not just for this call but ALL calls!!!! THANK----YOU !!!!!

I thought the 911 telecommunicator did a good job. Most people don't understand how much work and multitasking he/she was doing. Since the call went to Rowan 911, it is possible the communicator was having to contact Salisbury Communications at the same time. Rowan 911 is different from Salisbury Police/Fire communicatioins. The communications centers don't communicate with each other. The communicator was having to talk to the caller and the same time trying to reach Salisbury Police/Fire. Also the communicator is having to get enough information for police and fire and trying to calm down the caller. Until you have sat in the chair of a communicator don't judge their performance.

Just try to imagine the horror that Dr.Boyds young employee felt when she found his body.So do not criticize her.You or I would have been scared senseless and speechless.

While I generally have a very favourable impression of the Rowan County 9-1-1 telecommunivators, I am appalled at how this call was handled. This particular telecommunicator could definitely benefit from more training in call etiquette and professionalism. I am sure the supervisors at Rowan County 9-1-1 will ensure that all communicators are brought up to a higher standard in the very near future to ensure that this incident is singular.

Supportive of the great job the Post is doing!!!

To the ANONYMOUS CENSORS, I would question why our local newspaper should be expected to censor out what their competitors are airing??? On Saturday, the Charlotte Observer had more information than the Post. Was it because of their concern about criticism from your faction? Instead of calling the Post's policies "ridiculous," "lazy," "unprofessional," and driven by greed, it seems the attention should be placed on the ANONYMOUS CENSORS' gross misunderstanding of the First Amendment. If you folks had your way, a board of censors would have to screen local news, to make sure it fit your faction's agenda. Would you volunteer to serve on such a board if a prerequisite was that you had to reveal the identity behind your preposterous fascist ideals?

the one thing people dont understand is, a person taking a 911 call is on the phone. They are not at the location to see what is really taking place. Yes the caller said he had something around his neck, I heard it you heard but at the time maybe the 911 call taker didnt. Until you have worked the job dont say you should have or would have done this or that. I have worked for 911 and its not like picking up your phone at home and talking to your buddy down the road. You have many things going on at one time such as typing in the call to get the resorce going, talking on the radio at the same time your getting info from the caller. At the time the call was made no one knew that this was a murder and it sounded like the person calling wanted confort in calling his wife. So people stop coming down so hard on people when you yourself have not been in the situation.

After listening to this phone call it leaves me to wonder what level of training the 911 operators receive? I would hate to think that I be stuck in such a horrific situation and my only lifeline of hope on the other end of the line not have a clue what was going on, further not give me instructions on what to do. Just some thoughts... and prayers that I never need 911 in Rowan County.

Glenda

Why did the 911 operator advise the traumatized employee to call Dr. Boyd's wife? Mrs. Boyd should have gotten this type news by a person from the local police dept. at the beach. I've not had 911 training, but I do have enough common sense and compassion to know that I would NOT have the employee call his wife.

If every newspaper and tv channel within the immediate area are going to offer more details and better coverage on local stories then why should the Salisbury Post even print a paper or run a website. They should actually have better coverage than anyone else because this is their home turf. Please note that just because you don't approve of it doen not mean it should be censored.

This novel is full of twist and turns.

It does not matter if the Salisbury Post placed the link to the 911 call online. It is also available on some of the other news web sites. Knowing the call would be accessible to the general public should have no influence on future emergency calls. In a crisis situation, the first priority should be addressing the emergency and not the caller wondering how they would be critiqued. Given the circumstances, the caller did well to give the needed information. She should be applauded. I also commend the news services to not naming the employee.

Jason

I agree to the message below. This is the SP's attempt to sell advertising on their website. They need traffic to the site and offering a comments section is the best way for the Post to make $$$. This should be a place to learn and read the news, not for anonymous people to post their comments and make random accusations! These people are hiding behind a computer screen and would never say these things in public! This is just as bad as a message board. NO ONE IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR COMMENTS!!!

Although this is public record, there is something called "ease of access" and placing the 911 call online like this exposes it to a wide audience. I do not think the Post is adequately recognizing the side-effects of this comment section. If you know a 911 call you place would be put online and everyone could access it & comment on it, would you place the call - would you change what you are saying - would you have second thoughts? Would you want an article written about you or your company - knowing that the peanut gallery will write negative comments about you and your company. The Post needs to look and see what other papers have done to mitigate this trash - at least required registration and screen-names to post so that multiple posts could be attached to one author. This is ridiculous - this is unprofessional - this is not thought out - and this is pure laziness by the Post not to develop a better solution. I know this comment section is the baby of someone high up in the Post, however exercise some professionalism and develop a solution.

The only good thing about this 911 call being released is that it clears up speculation as to why the young lady (employee) was in the Boyd home. She didn't have access, two doors were unlocked! Now maybe the tongue waggers will leave the poor employee alone that had the missfortune of finding him! A sight like the one she saw will unfortunatly be trapped in her mind for the rest of her life..may she find peace one day too!

A distraught young woman tells a 911 dispatcher that she has just found her boss dead with cords tied around his neck and the dispatcher's last words to her are (paraphrased) yes, call his wife? Before the police arrive? That was totally inappropriate. Is this standard operating procedure? If so, then your policies require immediate review.

Shouldn't this kind of stuff NOT be heard since this is a murder case? Kind of hard to pick a jury with people knowing everything about the case. I just hope the jury that is picked is pro death penalty because these 3 scums do not deserve to be on this earth and we sure dont need to pay to keep them up.

Oh how my heart breaks for this poor girl! What a great job she did calling this in to 911, despite the shock that she was obviously in. What a horrible thing for anyone to witness. I hope she can get over this.