Burlington 911 dispatchers now able to request access to caller's phone camera
Connecting 911 dispatchers with people who call 911 in a new way. That’s what’s happening in Burlington, thanks to new technology that allows dispatchers there to request access to a caller’s cellphone camera.
It's through the technology called, GoodSAM.
Allowing that access is up to the caller and it won’t be asked for every call, just when it could help the Burlington and Graham Police Departments and Burlington and Graham Fire Departments.
The Burlington and Graham Police Departments are the first police agencies in the United States to pilot this technology. Through the Burlington Communications Center, dispatchers will be using this on a trial basis for four months to see how it goes.
How it works
A caller calls the Burlington Communications Center. If the telecommunicator thinks it'd help them get more information, they'll ask the caller if they can have access to their camera.
If the caller says yes to allowing access, they'll receive a text that has a link they can click on. Clicking the link will allow the telecommunicator to have access to their camera and they can see what the caller is seeing.
The caller can end access to the camera feed at any time.
This technology is something the Burlington agencies say will help them before ever getting to a scene.
“It could capture evidence for us before the police get there," Chris Smith, Burlington Police Department's Assistant Police Chief, said.
Daniel Shoffner, a Battalion Chief and Public Information Officer for the Burlington Police Department, said, “It really helps us with our resource allocation because then we can know as soon as we’re getting out the door, if you need additional units, if you don’t need additional units and that really makes our response more efficient and safer for the public.”
For the dispatchers at the Burlington Communications Center, it’s going to help them relay information to law enforcement more easily.
“Sometimes when people are in those moments, they’re nervous, so we don’t get accurate information. Being able to see it, we can relay that to our officers," Tatiana Doss, the Telecommunicator Lead at Burlington Communications Center said.
Chief Smith said the telecommunicator will have access to the live feed initially but once the caller ends the call, it is saved to the system, and they can have access to that later.
"Will provide us with additional leads, even if the suspects gone, like the tag, the car, whatever the event is, it provides us with an additional lead to follow up on to help solve the crime," Smith said.
Smith said they're asking for feedback on this new technology. If you've used it during a call to 911 in Burlington, you can fill out a survey here.