New technology in Carrollton allows 911 callers to give dispatch access to phone camera

The next time you have an emergency that demands the aid of 911, you may be asked to help dispatchers and first responders by video chatting through your phone. 

A new software being rolled out in Carrollton now gives 911 dispatchers the ability to provide a variety of digital tools to bring enhanced situational awareness during emergencies.

The North Texas Emergency Communications Center (NTECC), a joint 911 dispatch hub that serves the communities of Carrollton, Addison, Coppell, and Farmers Branch, recently deployed state-of-the-art technology to improve services through a program called Prepared 911.

This is how it works-- when a person calls 911, dispatchers at NTECC are now able to send a link that offers the caller the choice to opt in to allow live video to be sent from their device directly to the dispatcher and first responders. With the additional visual information, police, firefighters, and emergency medical services can make more confident, better-informed decisions by giving dispatchers and public safety a better understanding of the emergencies being called in.

"This program allows us the ability to see the situation and determine what assets are needed to help resolve it faster," Rex Redden, Executive Director of Public Safety for Carrollton said. "Instead of having to wait for a responder to arrive, then request additional resources, we will know sooner and can deliver those resources faster. It better informs us so that we can help our citizens more quickly, which is a win for everyone."

According to a release sent out Wednesday, the feature is opt-in only, meaning the live video feed is ended when the user decides to end the call. Dispatch is then unable to access the live camera without the caller choosing to opt in again.

In addition to live video, callers are still able to text dispatchers in the event they are unable to speak over the phone during an emergency.

In a 2019 upgrade to the 911 system, included was the ability to send photos and videos to 911 from a mobile device in addition to text messages.

Prepared 911 now also provides NTECC with more precise location data from callers. This means when someone calls 911, dispatchers can access the cellphone's GPS location to send first responders exactly where they are needed.

"We are very happy to provide this service to our residents; it is going to be a game changer," NTECC Executive Director Terry Goswick said. "This feature will allow first responders the ability to see, first-hand, what is going on at the scene of the incident and allow the professionals to relay accurate information. This service will also allow NTECC to better locate a caller that is calling on a non-emergency number, such as *247. One of the greatest things about this new feature is that it is purely voluntary on the caller's behalf and they do not need to download any app to use this."

For more information about NTECC, visit ntecc.org, and for more information on Carrollton emergency services, visit cityofcarrollton.com/publicsafety.