Final report released on Silver City Galleria rampage

February 3, 2017 5:34 pm

By: News Staff

news@abc6.com

TAUNTON, M.A. – An independent agency is saying an outdated emergency communications system is what caused major delays during the incidents at, and in the area of the Silver City Galleria back in May.

Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye released an administrative report Friday afternoon, containing the findings and recommendations from Ryan Strategies Group LLC, an agency commissioned by the City of Taunton.

Back on May 10th, 2016, Arthur DaRosa went on a stabbing rampage that claimed the lives of two people as well as causing motor vehicle crashes before being shot and killed by an off duty sheriff’s deputy.

The findings gathered Ryan Strategies LLC point to a badly out of date emergency communications system, which lead to a number of breakdowns and systems failures.

“We now have a better grasp of exactly what happened on May 10th,” Mayor Hoye said. “It is imperative that we change what we can change now and set in motion today the long-term improvements that will put Taunton in line with our neighbors and nationwide best practices.”

Mayor Hoye says he has pledged to reform the system to create a first-rate emergency communications system for Taunton’s residents.

Other findings released in the report were as follows:

Numerous off duty police officers and firefighters called into the station during the incident to find out what was going on. This contributed to communications bottlenecks and delays.
Call takers did not answer calls and greet callers in a manner consistent with state standards.
AMR, the City’s ambulance provider at the time, provided unacceptable service.
A police dispatcher exhibited a tone that made it seem like a call was not being taken seriously because it originated from a fire department call taker.
Other calls for service were ignored during the major incidents on May 10.
The police dispatcher also works as the window officer, greeting citizens as they come into the police station.
Fire department call takers and dispatchers work different shifts.

“I am proud of the way our personnel handled themselves and responded to what was a chaotic and unpredictable string of events,” said Taunton Fire Chief Tim Bradshaw. “We are working with the Mayor’s Office and Emergency Response Departments to address all areas of concern, and will continue to look for areas of improvement to guarantee safety, security, and a speedy response in Taunton.”

Ryan Strategies Group LLC provided the following recommendations:

The City of Taunton should hire a civilian emergency communications director whose sole job will be to keep the city abreast of the latest technological advancements, trends, and best practices.
The police and fire department computer-aided dispatch software should be combined, and police and fire personnel retrained to properly utilize the software by updating it in real time.
Taunton Police Department call takers should be retrained and certified as State Enhanced 911 call takers and receive training and certification from Powerphone, a reputable third-party agency.
The Taunton Police Department should add an officer to serve as the “window officer” at the police station, and the police call taker should relocate to the Fire Department Central Station so that all Taunton call takers are in the same room.
The Taunton Fire Department should make security improvements at the Central Station to improve access control at the emergency communications center, in line with NFPA standard 1221.
Fire department dispatchers and call takers should work the same schedules, and dispatchers should no longer be allowed to work 24 hour shifts.
Additionally, the Taunton Police Department should open itself up to external review by seeking voluntary accreditation by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.

“We are taking these findings and recommendations very seriously,” stated Mayor Hoye.

“The new call center is a critical component to improving public safety communications and operations in our City,” Chief Walsh said. “Working with Mayor Hoye’s Administration I am confident these plans will be completed and an improved system will be put in place.”