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Dr. Phil Delves Into 911 Call In North Port Murder

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Sarasota Herald Tribune

Published: December 12, 2008

Nathan Lee, husband of slain North Port mother Denise Lee, is scheduled to appear on the "Dr. Phil" show today to discuss a mishandled 911 call that might have saved Lee's life, and already the show is generating controversy.

The episode focuses on how the 911 call in Lee's abduction, and another mishandled 911 call in Plantation, may be indicative of larger problems with standards in 911 centers.

But the 911 professional who appeared on the show -- Charles Cullen of California -- says the 911 profession was unfairly criticized by Dr. Phil.

"It was unfortunate how it was presented," Cullen said. "I don't want to minimize what happened in Florida, but to turn it into an indictment of the whole profession is unfair."

Nathan Lee disagrees. He has said the only way to build public and political support for improving the 911 system is by publicizing dramatic mistakes. His wife was abducted from her home and murdered in January.

After Denise Lee was abducted, driver Jane Kowalski called Charlotte County's 911 center to report someone screaming in a Camaro on U.S. 41 in North Port. Authorities knew that Lee's abductor drove a green Camaro, but the call was never relayed to the officers searching for Lee.

"In my opinion the show went really well," Lee said. "The bottom line is you can't make any changes if you don't draw attention to the problems."

Lee also believes there are broader problems with 911 centers than just the occasional human error, at least in Florida.

Every state has different standards, one of the reasons Cullen thinks it is unfair for Dr. Phil to criticize the 911 profession.

Florida has almost no state regulation of 911 centers, leaving control to local governments. "There are no standards in Florida and no consistency," Lee said.

Lee has created a foundation in honor of his wife that is dedicated to improving 911 centers.

"Dr. Phil" airs at 5 p.m. daily on WTSP, Channel 10.

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