People who call 911 in New London will now have the option to share live video with dispatchers. The city's police department recently started using a new software platform in their dispatch center which allows callers to livestream video from their cellphones.
“This gives us the ability to see what we normally would never be able to see," said Sgt. Matthew Cassiere with the New London Police Department. “A lot of times within the city of New London we are at our location in a matter of minutes, but that is a lot of time. A lot of time for something to happen. To be able to see what is going on during that time period is invaluable.”
The platform is called 'Prepared 911'. New London police demonstrated how it works.
When an emergency happens, the caller still dials 911 to be connected with a dispatcher. The platform does not replace any current protocols or systems for dispatchers. Instead, it is viewed as an extra tool in their tool belts.
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Once the emergency call is underway, the dispatcher can use the Prepared 911 platform to text a link to the caller. If the caller chooses to do so, they consent to sharing video and can begin livestreaming what they are seeing directly to dispatchers.
"Everything is controlled by the person holding the phone. At any time they can hit the red button and cease the livestream," said Sgt. Cassiere.
Once the call ends, dispatchers cannot access anything on the caller's phone, according to the department. Callers also have the choice to share their exact location with dispatchers. If they do not want to share video, they can just text with dispatchers.
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New London's dispatchers said that having the ability to actually see what is going on is "crucial".
“Having eyes in the field enables us to see what the caller is trying to describe. Sometimes when they get escalated they aren’t able to accurately describe what is going on in the situation,” said Jamie DeGunia, a dispatcher in New London.
The company behind the Prepared Live platform, Prepared, was founded by a group of former Yale University students.
"Our goal is to build things that can save lives and we think that, right now, better information, better data, better understanding of what is happening will help do that," said Michael Chime, co-founder and CEO of Prepared.
The company started out focusing on emergency communication in schools before expanding their work to 911 dispatch centers. According to Chime, 80% of 911 calls made in the U.S. originate from mobile phones.
"You have this disconnect where the public safety systems that we use today to take in calls are built on that assumption that they are coming from landlines still," said Chime. "So much rich, meaningful data is left on the table as a result."
About one year ago, the company launched its Prepared 911 software platform. It is currently used by approximately 400 dispatch centers across the country and more than a dozen centers in Connecticut, according to the company.
“The visuals are there. You have a powerful device on scene, with a camera on it, that you can turn on and now get a clearer picture of what is going on," said Chime.
The basic platform is free for dispatch centers to use. They can purchase premium add-ons, including a translation feature.
New London police decided to use the platform after learning about it from the company. The department said it will help with efficiency and help them provide a higher level of service in a critical situation.
"It allows for our dispatchers to actually see what is happening as it is happening and provide that better information to officers," said Captain Matthew Galante, who oversees dispatchers.
