Unbelievable

And unacceptable.

For the second time this year, the Dane County 911 center apparently violated policy before a homicide, raising concerns again about the public safety agency's operations.

In the latest case, the center didn't dispatch Madison police on two noise complaints made to the center Monday night about a dispute in Lake Edge Park about 90 minutes before a man was found dead there, 911 officials said Tuesday.

Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said, based on the information he has, the center violated policy. The 911 board last month codified the center's dispatch policies for Madison police, clarifying that "noise complaints should not be dropped if multiple calls are received reporting the same problem."

"The bottom line is if there's a noise complaint, and if officers are available, they should be sent," Wray said. He said he believed officers were available Monday night, but regardless, police should have been notified by the center.

If a tree falls in the forest...