Tasked with directing emergency phone calls where lives can be at stake, Lehigh County’s 911 center was a hub of racism and negligence that put callers and emergency personnel in danger, sometimes with deadly results, a new federal lawsuit alleges.
A Spanish-speaking man who called 911 to report his Allentown home was on fire was hung up on by a Lehigh County 911 dispatcher, the lawsuit alleges.
Calls for comment about the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court, were referred to Lehigh County Solicitor Thomas Caffrey.
Certain dispatchers forced non-English speaking callers to communicate in English or be denied emergency assistance, according to the suit.
The 911 center’s “hostile environment” to minority and Spanish-speaking callers included the deadly Allentown house fire, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit contends a county 911 dispatcher indicated she did not understand Spanish, told Santiago to speak English and then hung up on him.
The plaintiffs allege one employee assaulted a co-worker, and that other coworkers transported and possessed weapons in the 911 call center. »