City Review Finds 911 Dispatch Failures Delayed Search for Missing Child

A City of Calgary internal review has determined that police dispatch was delayed by approximately one hour during the search for Parker Wells, an 11-year-old boy who went missing from a care facility in July. According to reporting from CBC News, the delay occurred despite the fact that the original emergency call contained sufficient information to initiate a police response.

CBC News reports that the first 911 call was placed at 10:53 a.m. on July 16. While the caller initially stated they did not want to file a missing person report, the city's review found that the information provided warranted an immediate dispatch. A supervisor subsequently reviewed the call but failed to reopen or escalate the matter. It was not until a second call from the care facility at 11:24 a.m. that police were eventually dispatched at 11:41 a.m.

Iain Bushell, the city's director of emergency management and community safety, stated that the failure was a result of mistakes and a lapse in adhering to existing procedures rather than a lack of policy. Bushell confirmed that one individual is no longer employed by the city as a result of the incident.

Following a large-scale search involving police and civilians, Parker's body was discovered two weeks later in a system of underground pipes near Deerfoot Trail.

In response to the findings, the city is implementing several systemic changes. As reported by CBC News, these include extending recruit training by one week and requiring two supervisors, rather than one, to review "advised events" every 15 to 30 minutes. The city is also introducing new training focused on problem solving, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking, while requiring all employees to complete a mandatory review of missing persons policy.