03/19/2004: 
Criminally Absurd
Let's Hear it for the Boys in Blue
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that a local man, Conrad Malsom, who first spotted Ohio sniper suspect Charles McCoy Jr. had to place "about one dozen" phone calls to emergency dispatchers before police responded:
"This is most important. I've been turned down by 911 because this is not life-threatening. I'm parked next to the Ohio beltway murderer. The shooter, the sniper's car here in Las Vegas," Malsom said in a call placed at 11:35 p.m. Tuesday.
"Mmm-hmm," the operator replied.
"Don't transfer my call, please," Malsom said.
Though dispatchers transferred Malsom's calls to a recording, or to the department's 311 nonemergency line, or to a different police division, the dispatchers followed established policies, Young said.
