Denise Amber Lee Bill to Require 911 Training, Certification

Denise Amber Lee

The family of a murdered North Port woman is celebrating the passage of a bill designed to improve training for 911 dispatchers.

In January 2008, Denise Amber Lee was kidnapped from her home. She managed to call 911 from her captor’s cell phone, and an eyewitness and three others called 911 with information about her location, but police were not dispatched there.

An independent study funded by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation found deficiencies both in the 911 response and the system as a whole.

In response, state Senator Nancy Detert and Representative Ken Roberson sponsored a bill requiring increased training and uniform standards for 9-1-1 employees. It passed the legislature unanimously and is awaiting Gov. Crist’s signature.

Lee’s father-in-law, Mark Lee, works to improve 911 service as part of the Denise Amber Lee Foundation.

“Our whole tragedy resulted from crossing county lines. Depending on where your 911 call goes to, there’s differences in training. We can’t help Denise anymore, but we can try to prevent future tragedies from happening,” he said.

An event thanking the bill’s sponsors is scheduled Wednesday at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation in Venice.