This is one of the reasons APD is the first law enforcement agency in the state to implement a new text notification system that notifies 911 callers that their call has been received and an officer is on the way.
“It gives them minute-by-minute updates on when to expect an officer to arrive, and even gives them information about what they should have prepared when that officer arrives,” Atkins said.
She also said that people can then fill out a survey to give the department their opinion on the answer and if there were any issues.
The department has partnered with a company called SPIDR Tech, which currently has the same systems with more than 50 other public safety agencies in the United States and Canada. APD hopes this new system will ease caller stress by knowing when someone is arriving and also freeing up dispatchers.
“If they don’t get someone right away, they may hang up and call again, and that can grab the lines, so this really hopes to avoid some of that,” Atkins said.
One lingering problem is that people who call 911 don’t get a dispatcher right away. It’s something that KOB-4 reporter Giuli Frendak and others witnessed during a murder Monday when they tried to call 911 but didn’t get through immediately.
“We’re hiring more and more dispatchers,” said Atkins. “We’re actively hiring more to help, but the best I can tell you is that we hope to get more people to help, but we’ll answer them.” Call them as soon as we can. “
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