Here's an instance of bureaucratic ineffeciency and irresonsibility that you'll never forget. It's a case involving a stolen baby, a criminally inept hospital communication system, a 911 operator that had the sense to get the police on the scene despite the lack of help she received from the hospital where the baby had been abducted...and more.To keep you from going mad as you listen to this 5-minute 911 phone call, however, let me tell you the infant was later recovered safe and unharmed by a Lake Mary, Florida police officer.
But the craziness of this story isn't just about the Central Florida Regional Medical Center's maladroit mishandling of the 911 call. It also involves Seminole County Judge Ralph Eriksson ordering Latham released from custody the day after she was picked up! Seems His Honor was concerned about crowded conditions in the jail.
Well, thank the Lord, police discovered that the baby-snatcher, 39-year old Jennifer Latham (photo at right from Channel 6 News in Orange County) had provided false information on the bail form. Further investigation showed she had previous arrests in Indiana for theft and domestic violence. And she was known by police there to have two Social Security numbers and at least two aliases!
The system finally kicked in and Latham will stay in jail (no bonding out) until her trial.
Latham apparently tried to steal another baby first but was confronted by that child's parents and stopped. But hospital staffers remained unaware of the danger and Latham succeeded in her second try.
The prelude to the crime was actually caught on security film (i.e. Latham changing into hospital scrubs) but cameras didn't provide footage of the actual abduction in which Latham grabbed the baby, put it into a blue tote bag, and sauntered through the security checkpoints -- even though the alarm had already been sounded. The infants wear a device that automatically triggers an alarm whenever they are removed from the unit.
So, while everyone can breathe easier about the baby's safe return and we can applaud the swift and efficient actions of the police (including the calm 911 operator), there are still plenty of very serious problems revealed by this incident. They include major security loopholes at the hospital, those wretchedly poor communication procedures, and the lax attitudes of the judges who are much too quick to put dangerous criminals back on the street.
(Thanks to Channel 6 News, the Orlando Sentinel and Real Choice.)
