Deerfield-News. com-Deerfield Beach, Fl-The Sheriff of Broward County has responded in the below editorial to The Sun-Sentinel’s coverage of the incident. We like the Sun-Sentinel have called into question after listening to the 911 call multiple times why BSO deputies did not respond to the house where the victim was? Why did multiple callers including the victim have to plead with the 911 operator for deputies who could be seen by the victim to come to his home and give him aid? The response of the Sheriff is bullshit. The fact there was a good outcome was more luck and chance than good police work.
When a citizen’s home is being broken into what good will it do to have all the deputy’s dispatcher set up a perimeter and not go to the aid of the citizen who is the victim and is seeking help by calling 911. When before victims are killed a caller is calling for deputies he does not want to hear some bullshit that the deputies are on the way they are there but setting up a perimeter the citizen expects deputies to come directly to the scene of the crime. To make up some BS stating that the perimeter is the most effective way of resolving this situation is BULLSHIT. If this is the policy then it needs to be changed ASAP.
The deputies’ lack of action in attempting to rescue the victim and catch the bad guy at the scene of the crime is inexcusable. This is the biggest failure of BSO since Marjory Stoneman Douglas and warrants ac change in policy. The only thing worse than BSO’s inaction is Sheriff tony’s poor excuse to the victim and our community.
From Sun-Sentinel-Fair Use-
The Dec. 2 Sun Sentinel editorial speculating about the Broward Sheriff’s Office response to a 911 call on Nov. 7 contained some deliberate misinterpretations of fact and much speculation. And, although a thorough administrative review is ongoing, I believe it is important to share what we know surrounding the response.
When you call 911, law enforcement will respond. On Nov. 7, deputies responded to a 911 call about a burglary in progress, established a perimeter and made an arrest without injury to the victim, the suspect or a deputy
Within six minutes of Bill Norkunas’ 911 call, the first deputy arrived. Four additional deputies joined the first and established a perimeter to contain the suspect. A perimeter is set in anticipation of a suspect attempting to flee. This is the training for response to a burglary in progress. The suspect was in view and had not gained access into the property. As the deputies established the perimeter and requested air and K-9 support, the suspect approached the perimeter and was apprehended. An arrest was made within 15 minutes of the first 911 call. Additional deputies also arrived on the scene after the arrest. Requests for K-9 were cancelled, and air support was not used due to the weather conditions.
I understand the concerns the community has about the response to Norkunas’ 911 call. As the public can hear on the 911 recording, Norkunas was terrified and felt alone in a dangerous situation. He did what all of us do when in danger; he called 911. He may have expected lights and sirens and a rush to his door. But when responding to a burglary in progress, deputies are trained to deactivate lights and sirens as they near the scene to avoid alerting the suspect; this enhances our chances of apprehending the suspect. However, Norkunas did volunteer during his taped sworn witness statement recorded the evening of the event, “I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the people that responded ‘cause now I am starting to feel comfortable again.”
