April 20, 2023 |
Photo – Emergency Dispatch Center – Bigfoot99 file photo
Carbon County law enforcement has a new tool in its arsenal. Police dispatchers are now able to see live video taken from a caller’s phone. Officers will now have a better understanding of the situation before responding to a scene.
Rawlins and Saratoga Police dispatchers are using software, called Prepared Live, to allow the sharing of real-time video from callers. Rawlins Police Department’s Communications Supervisor Valeta Rodabaugh said when a person calls 911 or the local police dispatch center, the caller is sent a text message containing a link. The link asks for permission to share video with the dispatcher, Rodabaugh said as she explained the system.
The Prepared Live program does not allow police to access the caller’s camera unless they’ve clicked the link in the text message.
Saratoga Police Department Head Dispatcher Alyx Munson said the software has preset messages that can be sent to a caller. Munson described what would happen in the event of a fire emergency call.
No matter how much information they are given over the phone, officers are never fully sure what they will be responding to. With the Prepared Live service, officers will have better situational awareness before they arrive at a scene. Responders can see what victims and perperators look like and learn about potential threats.
In Carbon County, the Prepared Live software has already proven to be valuable tool for search and rescue. Munson gave an example of using the program to help direct officers to a stranded motorist.
Munson demonstrated how a text conversation through the Prepared Live service worked. All messages are cataloged in an incident file. She said if more assistance is required, the original information can be quickly and easily accessed.
At this time, both the Rawlins and Saratoga Police Departments are using a free trial version of Prepared Live. The trial version allows live video and picture sharing only with the dispatcher. Piping the video to responder’s phones requires another module, called Prepared On-scene. Rodabaugh said another unit allows real-time text language translation.
Access to the full suite of Prepared software can cost between $5,000 and $10,000 a year. Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris acknowledged the program was costly, but said the benefits are worth the price. With budget time right around the corner, both the Rawlins and Saratoga Police Departments will try to find the money to continue using the video sharing software.
