Sometimes it takes a tragedy to make a community ask, Is this the best we can do for our citizens?

The January 2008 abduction, rape, and murder of 21-year-old North Port mother Denise Amber Lee was just such a tragedy. Though calls to 911 were placed by eyewitnesses, no patrol cars were dispatched due to inefficiencies in the 911 call center. 

In the aftermath of Denise Lee's murder, Gulf Coast Community Foundation commissioned an independent study of the 911 system in Florida. “Florida 911: The State of Emergency” analyzed all of the components of emergency response that are activated when a person in need of assistance tries to call 911 in Florida.

The study found that Florida’s 911 system is not a “system” at all, but rather a patchwork of state and local agencies, protocols, and technologies cobbled together to respond to 911 calls. It provided policymakers and advocates like Denise Lee's husband, Nathan, who created the Denise Amber Lee Foundation, with objective analysis to support their efforts to reform Florida's 911 system.

In May 2010, Governor Charlie Crist signed a bill that will require uniform training and certification of 911 operators statewide. The new standards will help close a major gap in Florida's emergency 911 system—one of several that were identified in the Foundation's study.

Learn more about the Denise Amber Lee Foundation.

Contribute to the Denise Amber Lee Foundation fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation.