Five months after the unsolved Dallas murder of pregnant mother D'Lisa Kelley, friends and relatives Wednesday received answers about police mistakes and city hall promises for future action.
The 24-year-old woman was found dead March 14 less than a mile from where she was reported missing a week earlier.
Her sister received an urgent phone call from Kelley as she was being attacked March 7.
Kelley's grandmother called 911 to report it, but police did not send an officer to take a formal report until two days later.
No arrest has been made in the case.
Kelley's relatives and friends went to Wednesday's Dallas City Council meeting to promote their plan for a "Kelley Alert" procedure that would elevate future handling of urgent trouble above simple missing persons reports.
Kelley's friend, Dominique Alexander, is president of the Kelley Alert Foundation, which was set up to help push for the changes.
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Alexander said several other urgent Dallas 911 calls have been mishandled with tragic results.
"Some way or another when they get off the phone, it's how they handle it that's different. So how many times do we have to do this? We don't trust the procedures that they currently have in place," Alexander said.
Deputy Chief Randy Blankenbaker announced at the meeting that a 911 sergeant was disciplined for mishandling the initial call about Kelley's disappearance.
"He ultimately failed to send somebody out that night to meet with the grandmother and take an actual police report," Blankenbaker said.
The sergeant received a one-day suspension.
Mayor Mike Rawlings told Kelley's supporters he wants to schedule a meeting with them. Several council members also voiced support.
"It is definitely very disturbing to see that there would be an actual crime being committed, especially an eminent danger case, and kind of the lack of response from our police department," said City Councilman Lee Kleinman.
"We're looking at what's called disposition time from dispatch to disposition, making sure that it moves quickly," said City Councilwoman Jennifer Gates.
Kelley's mother, Lasondra Kelley, said the response from council members and the mayor was encouraging.
"Looking at the way things have been happening, I think that it's OK that he's saying he wants to sit down, have a meeting. It makes me feel a little better," she said.
Alexander said the announcement the group wants most from police is news of an arrest in D'Lisa Kelley"s murder.
"The main thing is being able to raise awareness. We have not yet found a killer for D'Lisa Kelley," he said.
