Auburn Police Aim To Respond To 911 Calls Quicker With New Technology
AUBURN (CBS13) — The clock always ticks as dispatchers and police officers race to help someone in distress. When there is an emergency or crisis, first responders understand that every second matters.
But what if they could arrive quicker to the scene and be ready to respond?
Auburn Police Chief Ryan Kinnan believed his department could do better.
"We were kind of just stuck," said Kinnan. "Whatever it took to get that dispatcher to get out that information out is the length of time it took the information to actually respond."
Lately, the response time for calls is around seven-and-a-half minutes.
But after hearing how other agencies reduced their times with Live911, the top cop wanted in.
Essentially, the system allows officers to hear emergency calls in real-time while the caller speaks to a dispatcher.
No longer will officers wait for dispatchers to relay the caller's information.
Not only is it immediate, but it gives context to a situation such as when a person is hiding from danger.
"Now, we'll be able to hear that and understand the whispering and someone's hiding in the closet. Just the need of getting there faster," Kinnan said.
How does it work?
An agency creates a geofence, think of a virtual perimeter. It can be a block or in Auburn's case, the entire city. Officers will be able to hear calls through their laptops and dispatchers will know when they are listening.
Earlier this year, Kinnan had seen the program after the creator of Live911, HigherGround, contacted the department. Immediately, the chief agreed to the idea.
City council unanimously approved the groundbreaking technology last month. It is expected to cost the city $6,000 per year to operate.
At least 10 agencies in California are using this concept, according to the company.
Auburn is expected to launch the technology shortly.
Kinnan hopes it will reaffirm the department's commitment to protect and serve by improving its service.
