The 7 1/6 Minute Gap

The University at Albany Police have generally in the past put out two annual reports, one called the “University Police Annual Report” and another that is the “Annual Security and Fire Safety Report,” the latter in connection with the federal Clery Act.

The last Clery Act Report posted is from 2014 http://police.albany.edu/ASR.pdf I’m not sure when the 2015 report will be posted. March 2016 seems rather late, and maybe it won't even be posted until sometime after March.

I’m not sure if the “University Police Annual Report” has been issued since 2012, and if not why they stopped issuing them. Regardless, those reports from 2009 to 2012 all stated this:

99% of calls for service were responded to within four minutes or less.

http://police.albany.edu/UPDAnnualReport2009.pdf

http://police.albany.edu/UPDAnnualReport2010.pdf

http://police.albany.edu/updannualreport2011.pdf

https://police.albany.edu/UPDAnnualReport2012.pdf

Of course, what does “responded to” mean?

They picked up the phone within four minutes? Sent someone out within four minutes? Had someone arrive on scene within four minutes? Are they including calls that had been transferred, or only direct calls? There's any number of ways of lying with statistics.

it still took seven minutes and 13 seconds before an agreement was reached to send police. [...]

A third-party 911 dispatcher who spoke to Time Warner Cable News says the average time from reported assault to officer response should be 30-60 seconds, and should include questions about the potential victim's medical condition and whether the caller is in danger or needs medical aid.

Redick, Geoff. "Moving Target: Police Response Unclear in UAlbany/CDTA Case." Time Warner Cable News. March 4, 2016. http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2016/03/4/moving-target-police-response-unclear-in-ualbany-cdta-case.html

If the time is from call to an officer being sent, UAlbany's average of 240 seconds is far, far worse than 30-60 seconds. 433 seconds is execrable. Granted, the caller in the bus incident was having side conversations, not providing specific information, etc. Granted, she didn't call during the incident. Granted, the 911 operator shouldn't have gotten into an argument about who said "thank you" first and probably should have asked more direct questions to get the necessary specific information. 433 seconds remains in need of an explanation. The city and the university, unsurprisingly, aren't offering one.