Phone Call to Police Dispatch

[gammaray]

I wonder what the turn around time was then from a call being placed to police to a radio call being sent out to units.

Here, on important calls our PD Dispatch says "right away", "30 secs".

[monarch]

Maybe the answer is that everyone's wristwatch wasn't perfectly synchronized, their watches could
have been off + or - a few minutes ?

[Richard Grinell]

Maybe the answer is that everyone's wristwatch wasn't perfectly synchronized, their watches could
have been off + or - a few minutes ?

The time their wristwatches are set is irrelevant. They both started their journey at the same time ie: zero seconds (1st APB). Now get them to meet at the top of Cherry directly. Seven 100 metre runners could have their wristwatches set to different times. What relevance does this have to when the gun goes off? It boils down to how long it takes to perform an action or travel a particular distance.

[Chaucer]

I wonder what the turn around time was then from a call being placed to police to a radio call being sent out to units.

Here, on important calls our PD Dispatch says "right away", "30 secs".

Yes, but this was 1969 - pre-911. To call the police you had to call them directly and then be directed to a dispatcher or call the operator and be connected. I'm guessing the turnaround time for an emergency call 50 years ago was a lot more. Just don't know how much more.

[monarch]

Maybe the answer is that everyone's wristwatch wasn't perfectly synchronized, their watches could
have been off + or - a few minutes ?

The time their wristwatches are set is irrelevant. They both started their journey at the same time ie: zero seconds (1st APB). Now get them to meet at the top of Cherry directly. Seven 100 metre runners could have their wristwatches set to different times. What relevance does this have to when the gun goes off? It boils down to how long it takes to perform an action or travel a particular distance.

Yes, good point Richard !

[Dag MacLugh]

Anyone know what happened to the dispatcher who incorrectly ID'd Zodiac as black?

[Chaucer]

Let's get technical...

Distance from corner of Washington and Cherry to Washington and Jackson = 415 feet
Time traveled at normal pace (3.1 mph) = 90 seconds

Distance from crime scene to 3712 Maple St. = 725 feet
Time traveled at normal pace = 2 minutes 37 seconds

Distance from just north of Washington to 3712 Maple = 2804 feet
Time traveled at 35 mph = 55 seconds
Time traveled at 40 mph = 48 seconds

Distance from just north of Wash on Presidio to top of Cherry = 3188 feet
Time traveled by Foulke at 35 mph = 63 second
Time traveled by Foulke at 40 mph = 54 seconds

Zodiac would make it from the crime scene to just rounding the corner on to Jackson in a minute and a half. He would have made it from the crime scene to the meeting with Foulke and Zelms in just under 3 minutes - which lines up with what Zodiac said in his letter.

So, Foulke and Zelms would have made it to the assumed meeting with Zodiac in under a minute. They would have made it to the top of Cherry in about a minute if they do not stop. If they do stop and talk to Zodiac, it would increase the time to the top of Cherry by an unknown amount.

So, with that in mind, the timeline could look like this:

9:38:00 Paul Stine picks up Zodiac in Union Square
9:52:00 Paul Stine is shot at the corner of Washington and Cherry
9:53:30 Zodiac leaves the scene of the crime
9:53:30 Call placed to dispatch by Robbins teens
9:55 Dispatch call goes out re: cabbie being robbed/assaulted
9:55:30 Pelissetti and Peda arrive on scene seconds after Zodiac rounds corner down Jackson
9:56:00 Foulke & Zelms intersect with Zodiac

This timeline would account for all the known facts to this point. It DOES NOT account for what happened after this. Did Foulke and Zelms talk to Zodiac? Did they meet up with Pelissetti at the top of Cherry? Did they continue on at high speed to Arguello? We can't account for that.

[margie]

Let's get technical...

Distance from corner of Washington and Cherry to Washington and Jackson = 415 feet
Time traveled at normal pace (3.1 mph) = 90 seconds

Distance from crime scene to 3712 Maple St. = 725 feet
Time traveled at normal pace = 2 minutes 37 seconds

Distance from just north of Washington to 3712 Maple = 2804 feet
Time traveled at 35 mph = 55 seconds
Time traveled at 40 mph = 48 seconds

Distance from just north of Wash on Presidio to top of Cherry = 3188 feet
Time traveled by Foulke at 35 mph = 63 second
Time traveled by Foulke at 40 mph = 54 seconds

Zodiac would make it from the crime scene to just rounding the corner on to Jackson in a minute and a half. He would have made it from the crime scene to the meeting with Foulke and Zelms in just under 3 minutes - which lines up with what Zodiac said in his letter.

So, Foulke and Zelms would have made it to the assumed meeting with Zodiac in under a minute. They would have made it to the top of Cherry in about a minute if they do not stop. If they do stop and talk to Zodiac, it would increase the time to the top of Cherry by an unknown amount.

So, with that in mind, the timeline could look like this:

9:38:00 Paul Stine picks up Zodiac in Union Square
9:52:00 Paul Stine is shot at the corner of Washington and Cherry
9:53:30 Zodiac leaves the scene of the crime
9:53:30 Call placed to dispatch by Robbins teens
9:55 Dispatch call goes out re: cabbie being robbed/assaulted
9:55:30 Pelissetti and Peda arrive on scene seconds after Zodiac rounds corner down Jackson
9:56:00 Foulke & Zelms intersect with Zodiac

This timeline would account for all the known facts to this point. It DOES NOT account for what happened after this. Did Foulke and Zelms talk to Zodiac? Did they meet up with Pelissetti at the top of Cherry? Did they continue on at high speed to Arguello? We can't account for that.

VERY nicely done!

[Richard Grinell]

You stated "Zodiac would make it from the crime scene to just rounding the corner on to Jackson in a minute and a half. He would have made it from the crime scene to the meeting with Foulke and Zelms in just under 3 minutes - which lines up with what Zodiac said in his letter".

Therefore you have the journey from "just rounding the corner on Jackson" to "meeting with Fouke and Zelms" in just under 1 1/2 minutes.

You stated "Distance from crime scene to 3712 Maple St. = 725 feet
Time traveled at normal pace = 2 minutes 37 seconds.

Therefore, you have Zodiac "from crime scene to just rounding corner of Jackson in 1 1/2 minutes". This leaves him 1 minute and 7 seconds to reach "meeting with Fouke and Zelms".

You have allocated 30 seconds
9:55:30 Pelissetti and Peda arrive on scene seconds after Zodiac rounds corner down Jackson
9:56:00 Foulke & Zelms intersect with Zodiac

But the bigger point, irrespective of this, is you stated
Distance from just north of Wash on Presidio to top of Cherry = 3188 feet
Time traveled by Foulke at 35 mph = 63 second
Time traveled by Foulke at 40 mph = 54 seconds

Let us take the slowest time of 63 seconds for Fouke from Washington/Presidio to top of Cherry from 1st APB.
Now get Pelissetti from first APB to the top of Cherry to meet Fouke directly in 63 seconds, let alone 54 seconds.
Pelissetti's journey up Cherry from crime scene to top of Cherry (just rounding corner of Jackson) is 90 seconds walking normally, because you allocated "Zodiac would make it from the crime scene to just rounding the corner on to Jackson in a minute and a half". But Pelissetti only has 63 seconds from 1st APB to reach the top of Cherry to meet Fouke.

But he has to arrive at crime scene (you allocated 30 seconds), even if he isn't checking alcoves and cars and walking the same speed as Zodiac (you allotted 90 seconds). That is already 2 minutes and he only has 63 seconds. And that is ignoring everything HE SAID he did at the crime scene, such as escorting the kids back to the alcove, retaking the description, updating all units and checking on Paul Stine. How does Pelissetti travel from 1st APB to top of Cherry and meet Fouke in 63 seconds.

[Chaucer]

But the bigger point, irrespective of this, is you stated
Distance from just north of Wash on Presidio to top of Cherry = 3188 feet
Time traveled by Foulke at 35 mph = 63 second
Time traveled by Foulke at 40 mph = 54 seconds

Let us take the slowest time of 63 seconds for Fouke from Washington/Presidio to top of Cherry from 1st APB.
Now get Pelissetti from first APB to the top of Cherry to meet Fouke directly in 63 seconds, let alone 54 seconds.
Pelissetti's journey up Cherry from crime scene to top of Cherry (just rounding corner of Jackson) is 90 seconds walking normally, because you allocated "Zodiac would make it from the crime scene to just rounding the corner on to Jackson in a minute and a half". But Pelissetti only has 63 seconds from 1st APB to reach the top of Cherry to meet Fouke.

But he has to arrive at crime scene (you allocated 30 seconds), even if he isn't checking alcoves and cars and walking the same speed as Zodiac (you allotted 90 seconds). That is already 2 minutes and he only has 63 seconds. And that is ignoring everything HE SAID he did at the crime scene, such as escorting the kids back to the alcove, retaking the description, updating all units and checking on Paul Stine. How does Pelissetti travel from 1st APB to top of Cherry and meet Fouke in 63 seconds.

I'll take your second point first. The answer is: I don't know.

My timeline doesn't account for what happens after Foulke and Zelms intersect with Zodiac. As I stated, they could have bypassed Cherry and raced toward Arguello. Pelissetti could be embellishing and never made his way up Cherry. They could have had a lengthier interaction with Zodiac than what we think. I don't know.

You stated "Zodiac would make it from the crime scene to just rounding the corner on to Jackson in a minute and a half. He would have made it from the crime scene to the meeting with Foulke and Zelms in just under 3 minutes - which lines up with what Zodiac said in his letter".

Therefore you have the journey from "just rounding the corner on Jackson" to "meeting with Fouke and Zelms" in just under 1 1/2 minutes.

You stated "Distance from crime scene to 3712 Maple St. = 725 feet
Time traveled at normal pace = 2 minutes 37 seconds.

Therefore, you have Zodiac "from crime scene to just rounding corner of Jackson in 1 1/2 minutes". This leaves him 1 minute and 7 seconds to reach "meeting with Fouke and Zelms".

You have allocated 30 seconds
9:55:30 Pelissetti and Peda arrive on scene seconds after Zodiac rounds corner down Jackson
9:56:00 Foulke & Zelms intersect with Zodiac

To your initial point, here is the math:

From the crime scene to just around the corner of Jackson and Cherry is 415 feet. Normal walking pace is 4.6 feet per second. 4.6 into 415 leaves you with 90 seconds and change.

The distance from the crime scene to 3712 Jackson (the presumed location of Foulke and Zelms intersecting Zodiac) is 725 feet. Again, at a normal walking pace of 4.6 fps gives you 157 seconds or 2:37 seconds.

Now, I'm not saying that Zodiac rounds the corner at the EXACT same moment P & P arrive at the crime scene. I'm allowing time for Zodiac to get a headstart. Also, there are things we can't know such as did Foulke and Zelms slow down as they made the left turn on Jackson? Did they slow or stop as they approached Zodiac? Did the call go out at EXACTLY 9:55 or perhaps 9:55:15? There is no way to now.

But this timeline accounts for everyone's whereabouts given the presumed facts.

As always, Richard, if you can identify errors in my math or my logic, please point them out. I'm always open for criticism.