By Ashley Silver
Police1
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — One North Carolina sheriff’s office has acquired new technology that allows 911 calls to be live-streamed to officers while on patrol.
According to Winston Salem Journal, Live911 is a streaming tool that works through computer systems to improve the daily duties of patrol deputies. Fewer than 70 law enforcement agencies around the country have access to the advanced technology.
“Live911 allows deputies working throughout Forsyth County to listen in real-time to 911 calls within a specific geographic area,” the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office told Winston Salem Journal.
The system was created by retired Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) Captain Fritz Reber to lessen response times and create a better organizational tool for calls that will benefit officers and those that need assistance.
“Live911 is a tool that enhances and assists — but does not replace — the work of our FCSO dispatchers, all with the goal of providing better service to our community,” the sheriff’s office told the journal.
Winston Salem Journal reports the Live911 program will allow officers to utilize geo locations to program the area they patrol into their vehicle’s computer.
“When a 911 call from within that pre-set area comes into the FCSO Communications Center, the deputy sitting in his or her patrol vehicle in the field is able to listen in on the call real-time,” the sheriff’s office said.
With Live911, officers can see the location of the call as it comes in instead of waiting for dispatchers to relay and report the address, saving invaluable minutes according to the sheriff’s office.
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