Officers Respond After Car Window Shatters On I-70

WCMH Channel 4 ^ | February 4, 2004 | nbc4columbus

[Sunshine55]

Serial Shooting Task Force Notified

POSTED: 11:57 PM EST February 4, 2004

UPDATED: 12:20 AM EST February 5, 2004

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Law enforcement responded Wednesday night to a report of a car window shattering while the driver was on Interstate 70 on the city's west side, NewsChannel 4 reported.

It was not clear as to what shattered the window. The driver reported the incident to police at about 9:40 p.m. while she was driving on I-70 west near Wilson Road.

Columbus police and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office responded to the call. The serial shooting task force was notified.

Investigators were checking for evidence of a gunshot possibly on the door of the black Honda sport utility vehicle.

The driver reportedly said that she did not see anything or anyone at the time the window shattered.

A police helicopter and ground units searched the area near the vehicle.

Stay with NewsChannel 4 and nbc4columbus.com for more information.

[Sunshine55]

pinging

[Sunshine55]

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Cell calls’ source still mystery to dispatchers

Proposed monthly charge would enable authorities to locate wireless callers

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

John Futty

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

I-270 shootings

• Complete coverage of the I-270 shootings
  From The Columbus Dispatch, WBNS-10TV and ONN: Ohio News Network

When a man using a cell phone called 911 last week to say he was the highway sniper, there was no way for Columbus police dispatchers to identify a number or location for the calls.

A Franklin County 911 dispatcher experienced the same informational void four days later when she took a similar call.

The calls spotlight a growing hole in the emergency phone system, said Ken Borror, the county’s 911 coordinator.

"There are all kinds of horror stories about wireless calls to 911," he said.

Only two counties in Ohio — Delaware and Hocking — have 911 operations that are equipped to identify a cellular caller’s number and location.

That will change if the General Assembly approves a bill introduced in December.

House Bill 361 would add 65 cents to the monthly bill for all Ohio cell-phone users to fund automatic number and location identification for wireless calls to 911 systems statewide.

A similar bill was approved by the Ohio House in 2000 but failed to get out of a Senate committee.

Ohio is one of only seven states in the nation that have yet to find a funding source for 911 upgrades to identify wireless calls, said Roger Hixson of the National Emergency Number Association’s Ohio chapter. All other states either have a system in place or are in the process of getting one.

Franklin County’s 911 system was installed in 1987 before the advent of caller ID technology.

In the system’s first full year of operation, 2 percent of all 911 calls were placed from cell phones. That number grew to 43 percent in 2001-02.

In other words, nearly half of all callers to 911 centers in Franklin County can’t be found unless they are able to provide the dispatcher with an address or other description of their location.

And callers from cell phones who take credit for crimes — legitimately or not — remain anonymous.

"As cell phones become more popular, our 911 system moves backward," Borror said.

Upgrades are done in two phases. Phase I enables 911 operators to receive the telephone number of the cellular caller and the cell tower that is relaying the call. Phase II provides dispatchers with a precise location.

A task force that includes the wireless industry has worked on the bill, which was introduced by state Rep. Larry L. Flowers, a Canal Winchester Republican and former Madison Township fire chief.

"There is a fee for cellular users, but I am very optimistic that people will be more than willing to pay for technology so that when they call 911 the (dispatcher) will know where their call is coming from," Flowers said.

If the legislation makes it through both the House and Senate by spring, Hixson said it would take at least two years for the entire state to complete both phases of the technological upgrades.

jfutty@dispatch.com

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Copyright © 2004, The Columbus Dispatch

[flutters]

Channel 4 news just reported that a police officer's vehicle was shot at tonight in the same area. I haven't found an online article yet.

[Sunshine55]

I saw, and they didn't catch him either. The roads are absolutely horrid tonight. Hopefully they got the plate number and an accurate description of the car. The good news is that it was the sheriff and not CPD so there's less margin for incompetence.

[LisaMalia]

Channel 4 news just reported that a police officer's vehicle was shot at tonight in the same area

Maybe they'll decide to take this situation more seriously now. I've sent several emails to Gov. Taft and Mayor Coleman's offices asking them to give the public more information, and urging them to get more help from other government agencies.

[Orangedog]

The good news is that it was the sheriff and not CPD so there's less margin for incompetence.

LOL! The CPD is more worried about writing tickets for tinted windows than actually catching that whack-job. The Franklin County Sheriffs are a step up, but it's kinda like the difference between Rosco and Enos on the Dukes of Hazzard.

[flutters]

I really don't understand why they are being so tight lipped about everything. I think there is a lot of information that they could share with the public that might help their investigation. From what I understand, calls to the tip hotline keep trickling off. They need to do something. Martin only holding once a week press conferences doesn't help much either. I was so angry when The Dispatch ask him for information about an earlier shooting and he declined to comment until tomorrow. grrrrrrr

[LisaMalia]

I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to start picketing at the Statehouse.

[flutters]

Shots Fired During Attempted Narcotics Arrest
Suspects Remain On Loose

POSTED: 12:20 AM EST February 6, 2004

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two Franklin County sheriff's deputies were involved in a shooting incident Thursday night, but neither deputy was injured, NewsChannel 4's Duarte Geraldino reported.

Chief Deputy Steve Martin said the incident stemmed from a narcotics arrest that got out of control. He said two suspects were in a red Pontiac Grand Am near Valley View Drive and Wilson Road. When officers approached the vehicle, Martin said the suspects pulled out guns. Several shots were fired, but it is unclear as to who fired the shots.

The suspects then fled the scene in the car. The vehicle was found about a half of a mile away at a trailer park along Wilson Avenue. It was impounded to be searched for evidence. The suspects remain on the loose.

[Sunshine55]

It's unclear who fired the shots...now how in the hell can that be? Either the sheriff fired them, or the perp fired them! I wonder if the car was stolen. This is the third time a Pontiac Grand Am has been mentioned, each time in a different color. Are they particularly easy to hotwire?

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks for the ping.