FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:

February 20, 2019 Name: Kristin Kolb

Title: Corporation Counsel
Phone: (734) 394-5199
Email: Kristin.Kolb@canton-mi.org

Statement on March 2, 2018 911 Dispatch Incident

Canton, MI – Two former Canton Department of Public Safety 9-1-1 dispatchers, who were civilian
employees, are the named defendants of a lawsuit surrounding a March 2, 2018 incident where the
Heartland Health Care staff attempted multiple times to contact 9-1-1 to request an ambulance for Mr.
Stephen Greene who was having a medical emergency. Mr. Greene unfortunately did not recover and
passed away.

Although The Charter Township of Canton is not named in the lawsuit, Canton Corporate Counsel Kristin
Kolb issued the following statement:

“First and foremost, The Charter Township of Canton extends its deepest sympathies to the family of
Mr. Stephen Greene.

“The missed 9-1-1 calls were reported to a supervisor the same morning of occurrence. Upon receiving
the report of the incident the Canton Public Safety Department immediately launched an internal
investigation into the actions of the named former employees. The investigation quickly determined
one of the named former employees turned down the volume on the 9-1-1 telephone speaker causing
the calls to be missed leading to an 8-minute delay in service.

“The two named former employees under investigation were suspended from the department after the
internal investigation revealed significant policy violations and evidence of possible criminal conduct.
This investigation was submitted for review by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Michigan
State Police. Subsequent to the independent investigation, the Prosecutor’s Office charged Rachel
Rowell with Willful Neglect of Duty.

“The actions of the responsible named former employees are inconsistent with the training, policies and
practices of the Canton Department of Public Safety. Additionally, corrective measures have been put in
place, and further measures continue to be evaluated by the department to prevent an incident such as
this from occurring again.

“In 2018 the Public Safety Department’s dispatch center received 142,375 phone calls which included
25,536 9-1-1 calls. As a CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accredited
agency, the Canton Department of Public Safety holds its employees to the highest of standards. Those
responsible for this incident have been held accountable, and the public can continue to have full
confidence in the professional delivery of service by the Canton Police and Fire Departments.”

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