Can you hear me now?

Greenwood-area dispatchers, law enforcement use
innovative techniques to find people in crisis

December 6, 2005

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

Greenwood County 911 telecommunicators, such as 911 Director Tina Stone, serve as the eyes and ears for rescue personnel who are responding to calls. Law enforcement and dispatchers worked together to find a person who had overdosed on aspirin.

When telecommunicators receive a call from a person in a time of crisis, one of the key pieces of information they need to receive is that person’s location.
But not every caller is able — or willing — to provide that vital information. Dispatchers and law enforcement sometimes have to work together using innovative techniques to find and rescue a person in trouble.
In early November, Greenwood County 911 telecommunicators received a call concerning a person who had overdosed on aspirin. Though medical overdoses can be a somewhat common occurrence, the situation that the dispatchers were about to encounter was anything but routine.
After taking a potentially harmful amount of aspirin, a girl rode her bicycle into a field and called her teacher by cell phone. When the teacher became concerned for the girl’s safety, the teacher asked her husband to make a call to 911 dispatchers.
While she was speaking with the girl, the teacher heard a train whistle blow in the background. She relayed that information to dispatchers, who remained on the other line, said 911 Shift Supervisor Kim Douglas, who was on duty the night the call came in.
Using that information, Douglas said 911 Assistant Supervisor Sarah Lawrence called CSX to “see where the trains were at that time.”
Within minutes, Greenwood Police officers began searching areas around railroad tracks in the city, blowing their sirens in an attempt to see if the teacher could hear the sirens over the phone, Douglas said.
If the teacher heard the noise, telecommunicator Kisha Brown, who took the call, would know that officers were getting close to the girl.
Though she didn’t hear the sirens immediately, the teacher did hear another train whistle, and dispatchers were able to pinpoint the girl’s location somewhere near the Greenwood Civic Center.
When the girl told the teacher that she was at a ball field, deputies with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office began using the same siren technique in the area near Piedmont Tech.
“The student told the teacher that she heard the sirens and then she (told the teacher) that she was where they do fireworks on the Fourth of July,” Douglas said. “She was located at about the same time she told us where she was.”
“It was wonderful to find her,” Douglas continued, adding that the search took about an hour. “It was like a needle in a haystack, but we found it. It was wonderful … Everybody worked together as a team.”
Lt. Tara Scott, with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, said the background noise and siren techniques are not necessarily taught to deputies and officers in training.
“When you’re in a jam, you invent new techniques,” Scott said. “Using ingenuity, you come up with new ways to do things.”
Though a rare occurrence, it was not the first time dispatchers and law enforcement have used the siren technique to locate a caller, said 911 Director Tina Stone.
About a year ago, a Greenwood County man got lost in the woods while searching for his missing dog. After spending hours trying to find his way back to his car, the man called for help on his cell phone.
“He had been out there three-and-a-half hours, and he was tired and worn out by then,” said 911 Shift Supervisor Michelle Dean, who was on duty when the call came in. Dean said dispatcher Stephanie Gossett, who answered the man’s call, wasn’t able to understand what the man was saying before he hung up. When he called a second time, Gossett was able to get a clearer response from the man, and dispatchers notified deputies of the situation.
Because he was afraid of snakes in the woods, the man had carried a rifle on his search. After clearing it with deputies, Gossett asked the man to fire his rifle straight up in the air.
“That would give us an idea of where to start looking,” Dean said. “Deputies also asked him if he heard their sirens.”
Because the area, located near Gary Road in northern Greenwood County, was so vast, it took deputies about an hour to locate the man.
“By his having that gun, it helped save his life because (deputies) heard it after a point,” Dean said. “Everybody was in on the call, and it really took teamwork. Our goal was to get him out alive.”
Though it can be frustrating when rescuers have trouble finding a person in need of help, Stone said it is important for dispatchers, as well as emergency personnel, to remain calm.
“You have to have it together in order to deal with everything,” she said.
“The teamwork (between communicators and law enforcement) is great. We really feel like family,” Stone said. “We’re the lifeline to deputies (and officers) just like we’re the lifeline to the community. What we tell them is all they know until they get there.”
Scott said the close relationship between dispatchers and law enforcement officers is key to building trust between the two departments.
“We know they are personally invested with us and are very vigilant to our safety in every situation. They are our eyes and ears,” Scott said. “That teamwork is one of the most important relationships in law enforcement.”

Opinion

Publicity and disruption at trial serve a purpose

December 6, 2005

Saddam Hussein has employed former U. S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark as one of his attorneys. Considering that both men are radicals in their own way, the pairing is not all that preposterous.
It might be preposterous, though, if Saddam really wanted Clark’s legal assistance. What seems more likely is that the ex-dictator wants Clark at his trial for publicity purposes. His presence is assurance that the major media will do exactly what the conniving Saddam wants ….. and expects.
Talk about theater of the absurd! Saddam and Clark, together, is as absurd as it gets, particularly where reality is concerned.
In fact, as Saddam’s trial resumed Monday, it wasn’t long before it turned into a circus atmosphere. Added to the murder of Iraqi attorneys and court officials connected to the trial, the intent seems clear: disrupt, discredit and terrify.

THERE SHOUD BE NO DOUBT that there is an organized attempt to wreck the justice system in the developing Iraq, not to mention the whole idea of self-determination. While seeking to deny that to the Iraqi people, Saddam and his thugs make fear an ally.
Iraqis who have been brutally treated through the years have to be looking over their shoulders always, wondering. The worry that Saddam’s influence is still a factor, along with the unknown, are powerful threats, whether actual or implied.
Considering the preponderance of evidence against Saddam, however, the guilt is clear. It should not surprise anyone that Saddam will use anything to try to divert attention from his crimes against humanity.

THE NAIVETE OF THOSE WHO think otherwise must be obvious, especially to the men and women of the military who have seen the situation in Iraq as it really is, not as the mainstream media portray it.
There’s also another consideration, one that Americans lend support to by their equivocation. The drumbeat of naysayers at home has to be debilitating to Americans in harm’s way. Imagine the consequences if we pulled out, on our own military, as well as the Iraqis who trust us to help them persevere. The bloodshed so far would seem inconsequential next to the slaughter that would surely come. It may be bad now, but what would happen if we abandoned the effort couldn’t compare.
There is a chance to change history in the Middle East for the better. Or, there is a chance to throw more innocent people to the wolves. It’s up to us, whether we like it or not.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Steve A. Bowman

Steve Allen Bowman, 46, of 617 Orlando Court, husband of Mary Annette Reid, died Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 at S.C. Medical University, Charleston.
Born in Greenwood County, he was a son of the late Otis and Clara Bowie Bowman. He was a self-employed mason and a member of Promise Keepers.
Survivors include his wife of the home; two sons, Tremayne Bowman of Charleston and Antarius Le’Chein Bowman of Greenwood; two stepsons, Otis Lamont Reid of Greenwood and Nevell Reid of Trenton; a daughter, Salandra Bowman of Columbia; four stepdaughters, Yolanda, Ericka, Katina and Deonca Reid of Greenwood; seven brothers, Randy Bowman, Mark Bowman, Joshua Bowman, Jamie Bowman, Johnnie Mack Bowman, Otis Bowman II and Stan Moore of Greenwood; five sisters, Patricia Black of Charlotte, N.C., Beverly Gladney of Piedmont, Deborah Moore, Iris Moore and Sabrina B. Carroll of Greenwood; and 15 grandchildren.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.

Allen Johnson

ABBEVILLE — Allen Johnson, 69, of No. 11, Calhoun Apartments, died Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005 at his home.
Born in Abbeville County, he was a son of the late Allen and Ollie Bell Goodwin Johnson. He was a retired employee of Abbeville County Memorial Hospital and a member of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.
Survivors include six sons, Allen Smith, Johnny Burton, Michael Killingsworth and James Killingsworth, all of Abbeville, Demetrius Johnson and Todd Johnson, both of Columbia; four daughters, Juanita Cromer of Abbeville, Gloria Martin of Starr, Bonita Johnson and Ollie Bell Johnson, both of Columbia; 32 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Brown and Walker Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Al Green.
The family is at the home of a son Allen Smith, 108 Brown St.
Brown and Walker Funeral Home is in charge.

Joe Louis Nance Jr.

Services for Joe Louis Nance Jr., of 1215 W. Alexander Road, are 2 p.m. Thursday at Living Word Tabernacle of Faith, conducted by the Rev. Alberta Foggie. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in Oakbrook Memorial Park.
Pallbearers are Marvin Mathis, Rickie Irvin, Craig Jones, Arthur Parks, Ronnie Manick and Shon Greentee.
Flower bearers are nieces and friends of the family.
Visitation is Wednesday evening at the home.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com

Harry Poole

GREENWOOD — Walter Harry Poole Jr., 85, resident of 509 Hwy 246 S., husband of Irma Leslie Boyd Poole, died December 4, 2005 at his home after an extended illness.
Born in Piedmont, December 5, 1919, he was a son of the late Walter H. Sr. and Bessie Rabb Poole. He had made his home in the Coronaca community since 1921. A graduate of Greenwood High School, he also attended the University of South Carolina. A US Army Veteran of WW II, Mr. Poole served in the European Theatre with the 4th Armored Division and the 10th Armored Infantry Battalion where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. For his bravery and service he received a Distinguished Unit Badge and the EAME Service Medal with two bronze stars. He retired from Seaboard Coastline Railroad (now CSX) in 1981 after 40 years of service.
A member and former Deacon of Coronaca Baptist Church, Mr. Poole served as church treasurer for 33 years. He was a member of the Clay Grant Sunday School Class and a member of the church choir. In 2003 he was made Deacon Emeritus of the church.
Mr. Poole was an antique car buff and was a member of the Emerald City Antique Auto Club, the Foothills Mopar Club and the Chrysler 300 Club. He enjoyed attending antique car shows where through the years he received many trophies for his cars.
Surviving in addition to his wife of 65 years are a son, Harry Douglas and wife, Pat Poole of Greenwood; a cousin, Mary Neal McCord of Greenwood and Richard “Dick” Parker of Birmingham, AL, who was reared in the home.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 am Wednesday at Coronaca Baptist Church with Rev. David Tester, Rev. Wade Burton and Rev. Tommy Cartledge officiating.
Burial will be in Bethlehem Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Lyn Stuart, Mark Willard, Bruce McKee, Brother Motsinger, Leland Lumley, Penny Pinson and Tommie Scott.
Honorary escort will be the deacons and former deacons of Coronaca Baptist Church, members of the Clay Grant Sunday School Class and the Lightbearer Sunday School Class along with Wayne Calvert, Dr. David Henderson, Marshall Jones and Martin Witt.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 10 am Wednesday.
The family is at the home on Hwy 246 and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 Tuesday evening.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646 or to Coronaca Baptist Church, 300 Hwy 246 N., Greenwood, SC 29649.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Poole Family.
PAID OBITUARY

Junior Power

PENDLETON — Bennie G. “Junior” Power Jr., 68, of 115 Shirley St., died Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005 at Hospice of the Upstate in Anderson.
Born in Honea Path, he was a son of the late Bennie G. Power Sr. and Helen Orene Howard Young. He retired from Greenwood Mills, Durst Plant and was a member of the Open Door Bible Church in Anderson.
Survivors include a sister, Gloria Lowe of Pendleton; a brother, Rufus Power of Starr; a niece reared in the home, Rachel P. Thomas of Starr; a nephew reared in the home, Kenneth Hall of Columbia; stepbrothers and stepsisters, Laurin Young, Shirley Foshee and Pansy Steadman, all of Greenwood, O’Neal Young of Ninety Six, Ronald Young of Camden and Mary Lawrence of Waterloo.
Services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Brian Mitchell. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Visitation is 12-1:30 Wednesday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, SC 29621 or Meals on Wheels, PO Box 997, Greenwood, SC 29648.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Ricky Stinson

ATLANTA — Ricky Stinson, 53, died Friday, Dec. 2, 2005 at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Donald Trimble Mortuary, 1876 Second Ave., Decatur, Ga., is in charge.
Announcement courtesy of Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc., Greenwood.

James Arnold Witt Sr.

James Arnold Witt Sr., 71, of 110 Ridgemont Drive, died Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
The family is at the home in The Willows.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.

Greta L. Wright

Greta Louise Pope Wright, 46, of 507 Trakas Ave., died Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.