More on Al Jourdan's 9-1-1 call

A comment yesterday to my recent article on Al Jourdan's 9-1-1 call, after Phil Pagano told him he was going to commit suicide by stepping in front of a Metra train, indicated that Woodstock attorney Mark Gummerson may have accompanied Jourdan when he (Jourdan) talked to sheriff's deputies about his 9-1-1 call.

Did I miss previous reporting that Jourdan was accompanied by attorney Mark Gummerson when interviewed by sheriff's police?

Jourdan said on the tape that he had spoken with Pagano by phone about 10-12 minutes earlier and that he was going to brush his teeth (before talking to the deputies)? He sure wouldn't want to have "morning breath" and scare off any investigator!

Presumably he was at home when he made the 9-1-1 call about 7:00AM. It would have been a short night for him, if he was at Pagano's home in Crystal Lake until after 2:00AM. He would have driven to his Johnsburg home, assuming that's where he went after leaving Pagano's home.

When did he call Gummerson? Between leaving Pagano's home and the time of Pagano's call to him? After Pagano called, but before he called 9-1-1? Why would he have a lawyer present when he gave information? And a criminal defense lawyer, at that. Was there any point during the interview with deputies, when Gummerson stopped Jourdan and told him not to answer or respond?

Jourdan's 9-1-1 call was too planned, too practiced, too calm. Had he already talked to Gummerson, before he called 9-1-1? Why would he wait 10-12 minutes to call??? Why wouldn't he have called 9-1-1 immediately? While there probably wasn't time for the 9-1-1 operator to contact Metra and alert them to a possible suicide attempt at the Hillside Road crossing. Was any possibility of an intervention eliminated by his having waited 10-12 minutes before calling?

Observe how Jourdan referred to Pagano as a "gentlemen" who was going to walk in front of a train, but he referred to Sheriff's Dept. staff as "Keith, Andy and Howie"! Didn't he know Pagano for 25 years? And he refers to him as a "gentleman"? Why didn't he say, "a friend just called me and he intends to commit suicide"?

What is the procedure at the Sheriff's Department when it receives a call about an impending suicide? The 9-1-1 operator, although expected to be calm and professional, didn't seem fired up about any possibility of preventing a suicide. Do they have a procedure to immediate contact with Metra, so that an engineer could be alerted within a minute?

Can a 9-1-1 dispatcher hit one speed-dial button and reach an emergency operator at Metra, in order to say, "Metra, this is McHenry County Sheriff's Department. We have a report of a possible suicide attempt immediately on the McHenry line at Hillside." How long would that take? Eight seconds... plus 3-4 seconds connection time...

Obviously, the 9-1-1 dispatcher needs a refresher course in gathering information. Who the hell cared about the color of the minivan, when Jourdan was reporting a possible suicide by train???

Didn't Keith tell media that he had met Jourdan (or was it Pagano?) only one time? That ought to be tracked down, because Jourdan certainly sounded familiar with the "Keith, Andy and Howie" team. Does anyone remember where that comment appeared in the media?