Read full story hereIt was just after five in the morning last September when a mother and her three children were trapped inside their East Garfield Park apartment while her ex-boyfriend tried to force his way in.
Her ex – one of the most frequent domestic abusers in Chicago – was kicking the back door of her apartment. She previously called police after he battered her a month earlier, according to police reports. Those charges were dropped in court and he returned.
A cascade of 911 calls from the mother and neighbors followed.
Each time, dispatchers radioed for police. None came.
A half-hour later, the mother called 911 again and said her ex was “trying to break the glass… He’s trying to come in here and kill us,” according to 911 audio logs.
Several more 911 calls went out, including those from neighbors who could hear what was happening. Still no police were on the scene.
“We’re in a backlog. I have no one to send right now,” a dispatcher said.