Direct examination of Sharyn Gilbert (part 1)

📄 Direct examination of Sharyn Gilbert (part 1) — Tuesday, January 31, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JAN\31\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-SHARYN-G.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 9 of 167

◀ Witness exclusion ruling Sidebar: evidence foundation ▶

Witness: Sharon Gilbert
Examiner: Christopher Darden
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Tuesday, January 31, 1995 • Utterances: 59

Darden calls Sharyn Gilbert, an LAPD 911 operator, to lay foundation for the January 1, 1989 domestic violence call from Nicole Brown Simpson's residence. The examination covers her role and the technical mechanics of the 911 dispatch console before introducing People's Exhibit 2, a dispatcher's log. The proceeding ends on a sidebar request by Cochran before the document can be projected on screen.

# 1 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. MISS GILBERT, WOULD YOU STEP OVER HERE BY THE WITNESS STAND, PLEASE, BY THE COURT REPORTER. MRS. ROBERTSON.

SHARYN GILBERT, CALLED AS A WITNESS BY THE PEOPLE, WAS SWORN AND TESTIFIED AS FOLLOWS:

# 2 THE CLERK:

PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT THE TESTIMONY YOU MAY GIVE IN THE CAUSE NOW PENDING BEFORE THIS COURT, SHALL BE THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, SO HELP YOU GOD.

# 3 SHARON GILBERT:

I DO.

# 4 THE CLERK:

PLEASE BE SEATED AND STATE AND SPELL YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAMES FOR THE RECORD.

# 5 SHARON GILBERT:

MY FIRST NAME IS SHARYN, SPELLED S-H-A-R-Y-N. LAST NAME IS GILBERT, G-I-L-B-E-R-T.

# 6 THE COURT:

MR. DARDEN.

# 7 MR. DARDEN:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

# 8

DIRECT EXAMINATION

# 9

BY MR. DARDEN:

# 10 Q:

GOOD MORNING, MISS GILBERT.

# 11 A:

GOOD MORNING.

# 12 Q:

MISS GILBERT, WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

# 13 A:

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT.

# 14 Q:

AND WHAT IS YOUR JOB TITLE?

# 15 A:

I'M A POLICE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE.

KEY QUOTE

# 16 Q:

AND ARE YOU ALSO A 911 OPERATOR AND DISPATCHER?

# 17 A:

YES.

# 18 Q:

OKAY. AND WERE YOU A 911 OPERATOR AND DISPATCHER ON JANUARY 1, 1989?

# 19 A:

YES, I WAS.

# 20 Q:

AND WERE YOU ON DUTY BETWEEN 3:00 AND FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON THAT DATE?

# 21 A:

YES, I WAS.

# 22 Q:

AND ON THAT DATE AND DURING THAT TIME PERIOD DID YOU RECEIVE A TELEPHONE CALL?

# 23 A:

YES, I DID.

# 24 Q:

NOW, WHERE WERE YOU PHYSICALLY LOCATED AT THAT TIME?

# 25 A:

UMM, I BELIEVE I WAS SITTING ON CONSOLE 41. IT IS INDICATED ON MY -- THE CONSOLE THAT I WAS SITTING ON.

# 26 Q:

OKAY. SO YOU ARE SITTING AT CONSOLE 41?

# 27 A:

WHICH IS WHAT WE DETERMINE AS A PRIMARY POSITION AND PRIMARY IS 911.

# 28 Q:

OKAY. NOW, IS CONSOLE 41 LOCATED IN A PRIVATE OFFICE?

# 29 A:

NO, IT IS NOT.

# 30 Q:

IS IT LOCATED IN A CUBICLE?

# 31 A:

NO, WE DON'T SIT IN INDIVIDUAL CUBICLES. WE -- THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY FIVE CONSOLES SIDE-BY-SIDE ALL CONNECTED TOGETHER.

# 32 Q:

I TAKE IT THAT THERE IS A TELEPHONE OF SOME KIND IN FRONT OF YOU?

# 33 A:

UMM, EACH CONSOLE HAS ITS OWN TELEPHONE AND IT SETS TO THE LEFT OF EACH OPERATOR.

# 34 Q:

AND ARE YOU PROVIDED WITH EARPHONES?

# 35 A:

YES, WE HAVE HEADSETS, INDIVIDUAL HEADSETS.

# 36 Q:

OKAY. AND ARE YOU ALSO PROVIDED WITH A KEYBOARD?

# 37 A:

YES. WE HAVE TWO COMPUTER SCREENS AND A KEYBOARD FOR EACH CONSOLE.

# 38 Q:

OKAY. IF YOU WILL, TAKE US THROUGH THE PROCESS AND PROCEDURE THAT OCCURS WHENEVER YOU RECEIVE A 911 TELEPHONE CALL.

# 39 A:

OKAY.

# 40 Q:

THE CALL COMES IN AND YOU ANSWER IT, CORRECT?

# 41 A:

YES. UMM, WHEN YOU ARE PLUGGED IN, WE HAVE WHAT YOU CALL AN "IN" BUTTON THAT STAYS IN ALL THE TIME READY FOR A CALL TO -- WELL, YOU SAY DROP IN. AND WE HAVE AN INDICATOR ON THE PANEL TO THE LEFT THAT SHOWS THE ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER WHERE THIS CALL IS ORIGINATING FROM AND IT ALSO COMES IN ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN WHICH IS THE LEFT COMPUTER SCREEN CONSIDERED AS OUR STATUS SCREEN.

KEY QUOTE

# 42 Q:

OKAY. SO WHENEVER YOU RECEIVE A 911 CALL, A DISPLAY COMES UP ON THE CONSOLE THAT INDICATES THE ORIGIN OF THE TELEPHONE CALL?

# 43 A:

YES.

# 44 Q:

THE ADDRESS FROM WHICH THE TELEPHONE CALL ORIGINATED?

# 45 A:

YES.

# 46 Q:

OKAY. AND THAT SAME INFORMATION COMES UP ON ANOTHER SCREEN?

# 47 A:

COMES UP ON OUR STATUS SCREEN.

# 48 MR. DARDEN:

YOUR HONOR, I HAVE HERE A SINGLE-PAGE DOCUMENT. IT APPEARS TO BE SOME FORM OF A 911 DISPATCH -- DISPATCHER'S LOG. I HAVE PROVIDED MR. COCHRAN WITH A COPY. MAY IT BE MARKED PEOPLE'S 2?

# 49 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. PEOPLE'S 2 FOR IDENTIFICATION.

# 50 (PEO'S 2 FOR ID = 1-PG 911 DISPATCHER'S LOG)

# 51 Q:

BY MR. DARDEN: MISS GILBERT, SHOWING WHAT YOU HAS BEEN MARKED AS PEOPLE'S 2 FOR IDENTIFICATION, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THAT DOCUMENT?

# 52 A:

YES, I DO.

# 53 MR. DARDEN:

MAY I HAVE ONE MOMENT?

# 54 THE COURT:

CERTAINLY.

# 55 (BRIEF PAUSE.)

# 56 MR. DARDEN:

YOUR HONOR, I ALSO HAVE A COPY OF THE DOCUMENT ON THE ELMO MACHINE. MAY WE PROJECT IT ON THE SCREEN, PLEASE?

# 57 THE COURT:

YES.

# 58 MR. COCHRAN:

YOUR HONOR, JUST A MOMENT BEFORE WE DO THAT. MAY WE APPROACH, YOUR HONOR?

# 59 THE COURT:

CERTAINLY.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Sharyn Gilbert

I'M A POLICE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE.

Establishes her role — foundation for the 1989 Nicole Brown Simpson 911 call testimony to follow.

Sharyn Gilbert

WHEN YOU ARE PLUGGED IN, WE HAVE WHAT YOU CALL AN 'IN' BUTTON THAT STAYS IN ALL THE TIME READY FOR A CALL TO -- WELL, YOU SAY DROP IN.

Lays technical groundwork for authenticating records tied to the call.

Evidence (1)

People's 2

Single-page 911 dispatcher's log from the January 1, 1989 call

Marked for identification; sidebar requested before it could be projected on screen

Notable Exchanges (1)

Johnnie Cochran•Lance A. Ito

Cochran requests a sidebar just as Darden is about to display People's 2 on the ELMO projector, halting the introduction of the document.

strategic

Witness Demeanor

(Brief pause while Darden prepares document)

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 4508 • 59 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103