KEARNEY — Buffalo County law enforcement dispatchers soon will be using modern cell phone technology to improve responses to emergency calls.
During Tuesday’s Buffalo County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Neil Miller and Communications Center Director Lt. Rob Tubbs told the board that after 50 years, the shortcomings of 911 technology are well known.
For example, if a caller cuts off the call, there may be no way for dispatchers to reconnect and no way to pinpoint the caller’s location.
That’s changing with new Prepared Live technology.
Miller and Tubbs said Prepared Live will tap cell phone technology and virtually take dispatchers and emergency responders right to the scene.
When Prepared Live goes live in about two months, callers will receive a text to confirm dispatchers received their call.
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“And the dispatchers can text back,” Tubbs said.
Whereas 911 provided for a verbal response, Prepared Live will allow dispatchers to access photos and live video feeds from the caller’s phone.
With the ability to see photos and video, dispatchers and emergency responders learn much more quickly the nature of the situation. That knowledge can shave minutes off response times because responders can see for themselves what’s happening.
Callers can upload photos of car crash scenes or video of structure fires while their phone delivers an exact GPS location of the emergency.
In about two months, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers will be trained to use Prepared Live, new technology that will help first responders when they’re dispatched to emergencies.
With Prepared Live, when someone dials 911, the dispatcher texts a web link to live stream. If the caller clicks the link, the 911 operator can see through the caller’s camera.
Also, Miller said technology that’s on the way will help when first responders are dispatched to emergencies inside public buildings. Current satellite and drone images show only the rooftops of buildings, but the new technology will provide floorplans to help responders know where they’re going when they enter buildings.
Lastly, during Tuesday’s County Board meeting, Miller said three automatic license plate readers currently used by the Kearney Police Department will be repositioned. Two of the plate readers will be placed along Interstate 80 on the east and west sides of Kearney. The third reader will be on the north.
KPD installed license plate readers about two years ago and has used the technology to track traffic patterns that could signal suspicious activity.
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