Counting sheep instead of answering calls has resulted in disciplinary action for a police dispatcher in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jasmin Thomas was recently suspended for six days after being caught sleeping on the clock during a couple of emergency calls, WJW-TV reported Monday.
Ms. Thomas was “found asleep during two calls” on Oct. 27, 2016, according to internal records obtained by the network this week through a public records request.
One of the instances cited in the documents involved an emergency call concerning a burning stove. Ms. Thomas took 10 seconds to answer the call and another 40 seconds to transfer it to firefighters, investigators determined afterwards.
In another, Ms. Thomas began snoring five seconds after answering a call.
The dispatcher’s conduct first came to light in March when WJW-TV obtained two photographs showing her asleep inside a 911 call center. The station said at the time it would avoid identifying the dispatcher until police had finished an internal investigation, and documents obtained through its public records request indicate authorities concluded their probe late last month by handing down a six-day suspension.
Ms. Thomas was warned previously about sleeping on the job, according to the documents.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams declined to comment, WJW-TV reported.
Steve Loomis, the president of the local police union, previously described the snoozing dispatcher as a single mom who spent up to 60 hours a week answering calls in addition to studying as a full-time student.
Ms. Thomas is hardly the only Cleveland dispatcher to land in hot water as of late. A former colleague, Cassandra Christian, was fired last month for warning her boyfriend about a wanted suspect.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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