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Mayor criticizes out-of-town caller who repeatedly contacted dispatch; city readies to receive complaint to attorney general
Summary
Mayor Gore told council that an out-of-town individual repeatedly called the Huber Heights dispatch center late Friday night, refused to identify himself, threatened staff and said he would file a complaint with the Ohio attorney general.
Mayor Gore spent a portion of the April 8 work session describing a series of late-night telephone calls to the Huber Heights dispatch center from an individual who, the mayor said, refused to provide contact information, used derogatory language, and threatened to use public-records requests and complaints to cause staff discipline.
According to the mayor's account, the caller contacted dispatch around 11:14 p.m. Friday, asked to speak to a supervisor and then refused to provide a name or phone number. Dispatchers put the caller on hold while they attempted to reach a supervisor; the mayor said the caller returned and made belligerent statements and threats, telling staff he had "nothing but time and money" and that he had already gotten people fired elsewhere. The mayor said the caller also emailed multiple city staff and threatened personnel, including the front-desk staff and dispatchers, and that the caller appears to live in Columbus, not Huber Heights.
The mayor told council that the individual said he intended to file a complaint with the Ohio attorney general and that he had also filed public-records requests. The mayor invited the person to attend the Monday council meeting and said the city had repeatedly offered a public forum for the matter: "If you'd like to come to our meeting on Monday and let's talk about it here, you are more than welcome to come," he said. The mayor called the caller's conduct "offensive" and said the dispatchers handled the calls professionally.
Staff said they had preserved audio recordings of the calls. The mayor cautioned that repeated disruptive calls to a dispatch center — particularly during overnight hours — can distract staff from urgent public-safety responses and reiterated support for dispatch personnel. Council members were briefed so they would be prepared if they receive inquiries or a formal complaint from the caller or the attorney general's office.
