Emergency situations are usually sudden, unexpected, confusing. How a person reacts and what they can manage under duress differs from case to case, but most people can usually count on two things: 9-1-1 and the cellphone in their pocket.
A new technology called Prepared Live combines the two beyond the traditional connection. By providing access to the caller’s cellphone camera, Prepared Live allows dispatchers to see what the caller sees as it’s happening. The Bellefontaine Police Department began using this application in their dispatch center at the end of February.
“It will mostly be used for 9-1-1 hang-ups,” Police Lieutenant Scott Marlow said. “With the caller’s permission, we can text them a link. Even if they can’t respond, we can see what’s going on.”
Bellefontaine PD started training its six dispatchers, along with detectives, on how to operate the Prepared Live application on February 23.
Police Chief Brandon Standley said the department doesn’t intend to utilize the app on every call, but specifically in situations where video could bring clarity to the scene or crime. In addition, the recorded images might be instrumental to any follow-up investigation or could be presented as evidence in a case. Which is why detectives were included in the training.
“Our dispatchers will not put a caller into further danger by asking them to access this in an emergency,” Standley said, “but there are certainly types of calls where this will be very beneficial. Our tests show this can be a useful tool.”
The app isn’t without flaws, the main one being it can only be used with recognizable phone numbers. It doesn’t work, for instance, on prepaid phones.