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911 dispatchers suspended after Durkin Park incident

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Two 911 dispatchers were suspended without pay after an incident on the South Side in which they committed "unacceptable" human error, city officials said today.

The city announced the suspensions in the wake of an incident last month at Durkin Park, 8445 S. Kolin Ave. Despite multiple 911 calls, the dispatchers failed to quickly send police to the scene.

The dispatchers, who have worked of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications for five-and-a-half years, are currently serving their suspensions of 15 and 20 days, respectively. This is the first disciplinary action taken against either dispatcher, said a department spokeswoman.

The department did not identify the dispatchers.

On Saturday, July 14, a 16-year-old boy was badly beaten and fell into a coma after a fight involving dozens of people at the park, according to news reports. He emerged from the coma a few days later.

During the melee, a 15-year-old boy drove an SUV through a crowd of people, injuring several.

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