Widow Criticizes 911 Action
Punishment Called Lenient, 'Hideous'

By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 18, 2006

The widow of a slain music engineer said yesterday she felt that Prince George's County's punishment of emergency communications workers who mishandled her husband's 911 call was "hideous" in its leniency, and she demanded further investigation into events surrounding the shooting.

On Monday, the county's public safety director, Vernon Herron, suspended two 911 call-takers for four days without pay and gave a written reprimand to a supervisor over their handling of the case of Raymond S. Brown II -- a prominent music engineer who was shot and killed Oct. 13.

Danielle Steele Brown said her husband, "a totally innocent man," would be alive if police had been dispatched promptly. She said her husband and at least two other people called 911 to report that a tow truck was taking Raymond Brown's Chrysler 300.

Raymond Brown, 36, followed the truck in another car and was later shot by the person or people driving the tow truck, police said.

Herron said Brown's call should have been documented and police should have been sent out, but that didn't happen.

"Why would that justify a suspension of four days without pay and a written reprimand? That is hideous," Steele Brown said. "For them to receive those calls and not take them seriously is hideous."

Herron issued a statement yesterday saying that "our hearts go out to this family" and that authorities are concerned with finding the killer.

"In Public Safety Communications, we've identified our shortcomings and made important and necessary adjustments," the statement said.

County spokesman John Erzen said there were two 911 calls that night relating to the case: one from Raymond Brown, and one from an unidentified resident. The second dispatcher was suspended for failing to properly document the 911 call from the unidentified resident.

Steele Brown spoke by speakerphone to the news conference to keep her identity hidden because no suspects have been arrested in the case. Her mother, LaVerne Steele, who attended the news conference, said she believed the call-takers and supervisor should be fired.

"I believe that this is a cover-up," Steele said. "Clearly the 911 dispatchers are not trained well. . . . This system is broke, and it needs to be fixed."

Lawyer Donald M. Temple, who said he was a family spokesman, said the family is not thinking about lawsuits but wants a full investigation.

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) said he is working on local legislation that would require tow truck drivers to alert police before they repossess a car. He said they now are required to inform police within one hour after towing a car.

Raymond Brown, who lived in the Lake Arbor neighborhood of Mitchellville, was known in the music industry as Scotty Beats. On Oct. 13, he called 911 at 2:26 a.m. and said a tow truck driver just towed away his car.

"Okay, sir, a tow truck just towed your car?" the dispatcher asked, according to a tape of the call.

"Yes, it did," Brown replied.

"Okay, sir, um, what you're going to have to do, was your vehicle, were you late on your payments or something like that? Could it be repossessed?"

"No, I was lying in my bed and my alarm went off and I looked up and the tow truck, I saw the tow truck towing my car out of my driveway," he said.

"Okay, what I'm saying is . . . are you late on your payments on your car?"

"No, not at all. Not at all. No, I'm not late on my payments," Brown said.

The dispatcher went on: "Okay, so what you're going to have to do, sir, is give us a call back within the next two hours, to find what tow company's towed it and where they took it to and they'll give you a reason."

Staff writer Rosalind S. Helderman also contributed to this report.