Does anyone know the law on this question? If the woman had been hurt by these men after we took the advice of the 911 operator and did not arm herself, would the 911 operator or the city that runs it be liable? It seems to me that people assume those operators have authority when they do not.
It depends on the laws of the state, as well as who mans the dispatch center. Just in my state, a number of smaller towns have joined in regional dispatch centers, manned by civilians. My own town runs its own distach center, located in police HQ, but manned by civilians. The town next door also runs its own dispatch center, also located in plice HQ -- but manned by uniformed, sworn officers. Of course, most people dialing 9-1-1 won't have a clue whether or not the voice on the other end is a cop, and I'm not sure that (from a legal perspective) it makes any difference.
