TITUSVILLE, Fla. – It’s the best piece of technology the Titusville 911 Call Center has installed in more than a decade, according to the Titusville Police Department.
As accurate as 911 calling has become, the missing piece was that callers could describe what they were seeing but not show it – until now.
Titusville Police said over the past year their new live-streaming 911 dispatch software has solved crimes in progress, ended suicidal threats successfully and even brought assistance to people who can’t speak.
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On a single day last year in Titusville, two different children with autism disappeared from their homes at almost the same time.
But police knew exactly what the children looked like almost instantaneously because the parents were able to share pictures of the children as soon as calling 911.
City of Titusville 911 Communications Manager Greg Morrison said before “Prepared Live,” getting a picture of a missing child to officers in the field could take more than half an hour.
“In the past, an officer would have had to respond to meet with the caller, get a photograph of that person, somehow get a copy of that picture whether it’s taking a photo with their phone or body camera,” Morrison said.
Morrison said Prepared Live now allows a 911 caller to stream video right into the call center.
“It’s probably the biggest advancement in 911 technology in the past 10 to 15 years,” Morrison said. “In the past we were giving them [responding police officers] a verbal description of what they were going to based upon a verbal description that we’re getting from a citizen call. Those verbal descriptions many times were not accurate.”
When a caller dials 911 and wants to share images with first responders, 911 dispatchers will send the caller a link via text message allowing the caller to stream live video.
If the caller accepts the invitation and clicks on the link, a live-streaming connection is established and the caller can then hold up his or her phone and transmit the images directly into the Titusville 911 call center.
In the case of the two missing autistic children, instantaneous pictures were key.
“They were key in both of them,” Morrison said. “One, for confirmation that this was the child that they were looking for but in the other case an officer actually saw the child walking down the street and said that’s the child!”
One of the smartest components of Prepared Live is the 911 caller can live stream without making it noticeable on the caller’s phone in case someone else is in the room who might be a threat. 911 dispatchers can turn off the caller’s phone screen even as it continues to stream video. Only the caller can turn the screen back on.
Last month, a 911 caller reported a prowler outside her apartment and streamed video of the heavily-armed prowler.
“We’re now able to see the suspect of this prowler who is loitering outside of his ex-girlfriend’s apartment,” Morrison said. “While they’re taking video of him we observe him remove a firearm from his pants. A large AR-15 assault rifle.”
That video stream allowed officers to respond better prepared knowing exactly who they were looking for and the type of weapon the suspect was carrying.
Morrison said police quickly apprehended the prowler.
Live streaming only starts if the 911 caller accepts a link and ends when the caller closes that link.
“If that person moves, if they decide to go walking down the street or get in a car and drive, as long as the link stays active I can follow them wherever they go,” Morrison said. “I know exactly where they are. If at any point they want to break contact with us all they have to do is exit out.”
Morrison said the real-time video in an emergency is priceless but the police department pays nothing for the software. Subscription plans for Prepared Live enable more features but Titusville’s basic version gives them everything they need for free.
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