Louis Gerber told WBAL-TV in Baltimore that he was reprimanded by supervisors, the television station reported Thursday.
``I'm extremely sorry for embarrassing everyone in the department,'' Gerber said in the interview. ``I can't explain it.''
Patricia Berg called 911 about 2:45 a.m. July 29 to report a possible burglar, but after making her request for help, the Glen Burnie resident waited. And waited - for 1 minute and 42 seconds. Gerber had fallen asleep.
According to a tape recording, Gerber woke up only when Berg asked him if help was coming.
``Hello?'' Berg said several times.
``Hello ... yes?'' Gerber answered.
``I was just wondering if you were still there?'' Berg asked.
``What's the problem?'' Gerber asked.
``I've already told you,'' Berg said. ``You don't remember me telling you what was wrong?''
After a few seconds, Gerber confirmed the address Berg had given and the call was passed along to a dispatcher.
Gerber told WBAL-TV that before he came to work, he took his 82-year-old mother to several doctor's appointments for cancer and dialysis treatment. He said he had slept for an hour before he went to work on the midnight shift.
``In retrospect, maybe I should have called in sick, but I wasn't,'' Gerber told the station. ``Apparently, I was exhausted.''
He said this was the first time this had ever happened. He has worked as a call-take for the county since 1993.
A woman reached Friday at Gerber's home said he was unavailable for comment.
Police spokesman Lt. Joseph E. Jordan said state law prevented him from discussing specific personnel issues, but said ``I've been here 18 years and this has never happened before.''
Nearly 80 employees answer phones or dispatch police, fire and medical units at the county's 24-hour emergency call center.
When police arrived at Berg's home, they found no evidence of a break-in and no one was hurt, he said.
Jordan marveled at how the national media found Gerber's story more interesting than last month's news about DNA evidence that linked a convicted murderer to the killings of three women dating back nearly two decades.
``It goes to show you it doesn't matter who you arrest,'' Jordan said. ``He's the one person everyone wants to know about.''
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