BLOOMINGTON -- A 34-minute delay in the radio broadcast of police information about a bank robbery suspect won't be repeated, said Shawn Walker, director of the McLean County 911 Communications Center.

A dispatcher error meant that information available to Normal police wasn't available to county or state police for more than 30 minutes following the 11:35 a.m. robbery of National City Bank, Walker said. The information was broadcast to Bloomington police.

Typically, a broadcast would have been sent to Bloomington, Normal and McLean County via radio dispatch and in a teletype to state police.

State police then send information out via radio, and that is apparently how McLean County deputies learned of the robbery.

"The message should have gone out much sooner," Walker said.

Walker attributed part of the error to a new computer-aided dispatch system, which dispatchers have been working with for only a few weeks, she said. She declined further comment, citing personnel matters.

Although Bloomington, Normal and county agencies are using different radio systems, dispatchers are capable of sending simultaneous dispatches for mutual aid, Walker said.

Dispatch times vary depending on how long it takes the initial officer at the scene to gain a firm description of a suspect and/or a getaway vehicle.

Normal Police Chief Walt Clark said he's confident Walker will assure the problem won't be repeated.

"At this point, I'd have to say I'm OK with the answer," Clark said.

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-- Anonymous, May 02, 2002