Chicago Woman Says She Waited 4 Hours For Police Response After 911 Call

A Chicago mother is raising alarm regarding the Chicago Police Department’s failure to respond in a timely manner to a call she placed about a home invasion.

A Chicago mother says she waited four hours before the Chicago Police Department responded to her call about a home invasion.

“Michelle,” who didn’t provide her last name or where she lives, told NBC 5 said she left her door open around 12:30 p.m. after she let her dog out, providing an opportunity for two men to enter her home.

“I saw two men wearing masks standing inside my house,” Michelle said. “I screamed, ‘I am calling the police,’ and they bolted.”

After quickly chasing the men with a neighbor, Michelle said she called the police. She said she was instructed by a dispatcher to wait outside, which she did before calling 911 again, multiple times. On the sixth try, she contacted another dispatcher and asked to speak to a supervisor.

“A gentleman got on and said, ‘Sorry to say we have no units to send you’…Then there was an awkward pause,” Michelle recalled, according to NBC 5. “He also recommended I call my alderman. And I said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Encourage him to hire more police.’ The dispatcher also asked me if I would consider defending myself …if I had a weapon or considered getting one.”

Michelle, however, does not blame the police for their delay.

Chicago Police told NBC5 that the delay was most likely because no one’s life was in immediate danger, but city politicians like 1st Ward Alderman Daniel LaSpata are seeking some measure of accountability and change from the Chicago Police Department.

“It is awful that our neighbor experienced this, everyone deserves to feel safe in their home. My staff alerted me to the issue as soon as they heard, and I am in contact with 12th District Police leadership.” LaSpata wrote in a statement. “I will continue to support any resources our districts request, and I will continue to work with the City on a proposed satellite location within West Town for the 12th District police.”