Hawaii police were told quickly about false alarm
Dispatchers knew in 5 minutes it was just a drill, but public wasn’t informed
Police dispatchers in Hawaii were told within five minutes that an incoming ballistic missile alert Saturday was a false alarm, but 911 audio recordings obtained by this news organization show authorities continued to struggle with how to calm panicked residents seeking safe cover.
It took 33 more minutes for the public to hear an alert confirming what police had already been told — that there was no imminent attack. Recordings show the confusion officers on the street and dispatchers confronted in the meantime.
“Somebody,” one officer said amid the haunting episode, “should get fired.”
According to the police audio, officers seemed to immediately question the legitimacy of an alert sent about 8:07 a.m. warning that a missile was headed to the island chain and that “THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” The public, however, did not.
One minute after the first message went out, one Honolulu police officer told the dispatch center that he was getting flagged down by people on the street asking where to find the nearest bomb shelter.
Officers then told dispatchers that media stations were broadcasting news of the incoming missiles.
For the next four minutes, no word came down that the alert was false. Then, at 8:12 a.m. came the message to police that it was only a drill.
On the Big Island, a police officer let out a big “Whewww! 10-4!”
But that message did not get to the public immediately.
At 8:13 a.m., an officer told dispatch that people were showing him their cellphone alerts.
“They’re really scared,” the officer said.
“They probably made an error in their testing,” the dispatcher responded. “And we’ll just have to relay this to everybody.”
On the island of Maui, an officer said the warning was broadcast over the radio “so stay indoors, seek shelter.”
Lifeguards on Maui also asked for instructions and whether they should use loudspeakers to warn people on the beach.
“I think a lot of people don’t know,” the lifeguard said.
A supervisor responded with urgency: “That would be a good idea. Don’t take too much time. Just do what you’ve got to do.”
Another dispatch supervisor on the Big Island of Hawaii told officers it was OK to use their police car loudspeakers to announce the false alarm.
“We don’t want everybody panicking,” the supervisor said.
By that time, it was a bit too late. Minutes continued to pass without any official word that the first notification was a false one, even though dispatchers continued to remind officers that it was only a drill.
“Ballistic missile is only a drill,” one female dispatcher says, telling officers authorities were working on sending out a correction. As that was happening, television news still was reporting the incident as a legitimate threat.
On Maui, first responders tried to verify the alert, and supervisors told officers to continue evacuations.
“Let’s continue evacuations until we get a guarantee,” a supervisor said. “We don’t mess around with this kind of stuff.”