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- DRAWING CRITICISM OF THE THE DISPATCHER ON THE LINE. ?DEBRA STEVENS WAS DELIVERING NEWSPAPERS LAST WEEKEND WHEN HER CAR STARTED TAKING ON WATER IN THE MIDST OF FLASH FLOODING. ?SHE DID NOT SURVIVE... ?THE INTERIM POLICE CHIEF SAYS THE CALL WAS DISTURBING - AND THEY'RE NOW INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT AND RESPONSE TIME. WE'RE ONLY AIRING PARTS OF THE 9-1-1 CALL THAT RELATE TO THAT INVESTIGATION, BUT WANT TO WA YOU - IT IS DIFFICULT TO HEAR. "I'm scared I've never had anything like this happen to me before." "this will teach you next time don't drive in the water." "couldn't see it ma'am I'm, sorry I wouldn't have." "I don't see how you didn't see it, you had to go right over it, so." THE INTERIM POLICE CHIEF SAYS THAT DISPATCHER HAD ALREADY TURNED IN HER 2 WEEKS NOTICE, AND THIS CALL CAME IN ON HER LAST SHIFT. THE INTERIM CHIEF SAYS HE DOESN'T KNOW WHY STEVENS 911 CALL WAS NOT GIVEN "TOP PRIORITY". HERE'S A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TIMELINE FROM FORT SMITH POLICE. THE 911 CALL CAME IN AT 4:38... CREWS ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 4:50.. THE 911 CALL ENDED AT 5. CREWS FOUND THE SUV AT 5:02.. AND LAUNCHED A BOAT AT 5:16. THEY DIDN'T REACH STEVENS' SUV UNTIL 5

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Please note: The video above includes brief portions of a 911 call and police bodycam footage from the drowning. We included this as part of our report because we believe doing so is necessary to fully inform the public about the police investigation into the 911 call and how it was handled.The 911 dispatcher who took the call of a drowning woman in Fort Smith on Saturday had already resigned before she took the call, Danny Baker, interim police chief, told 40/29 News. Saturday morning was already scheduled to be her last shift.47-year-old Debra Stevens died when her car was swept away by flood waters. The Fort Smith Police Department released audio files of her 911 call. In the recording, the dispatcher can be heard telling Stevens to "shut up," telling her the incident "will teach you" and telling her not to cry. At one point she told Stevens she had put herself in danger. She also told Stevens she had other calls to take."While the operator's response to this extremely tense and dynamic event sounds calloused and uncaring at times, sincere efforts were being made to locate and save Mrs. Stevens," Aric Mitchell, Public Information Officer, wrote in an email to 40/29 News.40/29 News is not publishing the full audio and video files released by the Fort Smith Police Department at this time, out of respect for the woman who died and her family. We are including brief portions of the 911 call and the police bodycam footage because we believe doing so is necessary to fully inform the public about the police investigation into the 911 call and how it was handled.Police also provided a timeline of events. You can see it below, in its unedited form. Tap or click here if you have trouble viewing the image in your browser:Stevens was delivering newspapers near the 5800 block of Kinkead Avenue when swift waters washed her car off the roadway, according to Mitchell. Stevens was unable to exit her vehicle.Stevens called 911 and reached an operator who dispatched emergency crews. Those crews were responding to many 911 calls from other citizens who were also stranded in flood waters, Mitchell told 40/29 News.Stevens also had trouble describing her exact location, Mitchell said. When crews found her vehicle, swift rising water made immediate rescue impossible.An officer put on a life vest and prepared to enter the water tied to a rope, but the speed and volume of water made that attempt futile, according to Mitchell.Stevens was already dead when first responders were finally able to reach her vehicle."I am heartbroken for this tragic loss of life and my prayers are with Debra's family and friends," Danny Baker, Chief of Police, said in a statement released to the media."All of our first responders who attempted to save Mrs. Stevens are distraught over the outcome. For every one of us, saving lives is at the very core of who we are and why we do what we do," Baker continued. "When we are unsuccessful, it hurts."