Politics & Government
City Of Phoenix: Eleven-Year-Old Meets 911 Operator She Texted With To Save Her Family
Eleven-year-old Elizabeth hugs communications dispatcher and 911 operator Christy Sisel inside the Phoenix Police Communications Bureau. ...
August 4, 2021 9:00 AM
Eleven-year-old Elizabeth hugs communications dispatcher and 911 operator Christy Sisel inside the Phoenix Police Communications Bureau. This is the first time these two have met in person, but not the first time they've communicated.
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"I'm really grateful for what she did," Elizabeth said. "And it was nice meeting her."
Christy was the operator on the other end of the phone when Elizabeth texted 911 in a family emergency.
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"Anxiety was racing through me," Elizabeth explained. "I felt...I felt nervous. That's for sure. I was also angry."
"She was so young," Christy said of Elizabeth. "And she had so many lives in her poor little hand that she was wanting to save. And she just knew what to do."
Out of respect for Elizabeth and her family, we are keeping specific details of the emergency private, but the outcome of this exchange is important to share. In a matter of minutes, Christy was able to get enough information over text to get officers out to Elizabeth and her family, and get them all to safety.
"She's brave," Christy said. "Just so brave. To be 11 years old, and unfortunately to be put in a situation that she was in, and to know what to do."
Texting 911 in an emergency is always an option, especially if you are in a situation like Elizabeth was, where she felt it was unsafe to talk. Just like calling 911, operators monitor texts around the clock. To text 911, simply start a text message, and enter 911 as the recipient.
"I've been doing this for 17 years, and never have I met anybody on the other end of the phone," Christy said. "To put a voice and a face to it...it meant a lot. I know that she's safe and I couldn't be more proud of her at 11 years old to know to text 911."
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This press release was produced by City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
