CENTERVILLE — Police officers at one Miami Valley department can use new technology to listen live to 911 calls as they come in.
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Centerville Police have been using the state-of-the-art Live911 technology since July and have reported multiple successful outcomes.
As people call 911, their call goes straight to the Centerville dispatch center and, now, straight to an officer’s cruiser.
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Last week, officers were able to listen live as a 911 caller told dispatchers about at least one person seen going car to car with a flashlight and a hoodie on.
Three people had stolen a car and were trying to steal more from the Cornerstone Apartments.
“The lights are on in the vehicle right now that just shut off,” the 911 caller said. “Oh, now he just shut his lights back off again.”
Because an officer was able to hear the call in real time, Centerville Police say they were able to quickly arrest the people involved.
“In just a few short months that we’ve implemented it, we’ve had such success on getting on scene,” Centerville Police Sergeant Steven Kocol said.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, Kocol said the technology helps shave up to 30 seconds off their response times.
Kocol explained that the technology also helps officers have a better idea of what they are getting into.
“You can hear the caller’s tone of voice. Are they, are they upset? Are they scared? Are they mad? That helps with your response,” he said.
They’ve been able to get to things like overdoses and burglaries faster and respond appropriately.
“It really helps,” Kocol said.
The technology costs about $7,000 a year, and the department is always looking at different technologies they use to help keep people safe.
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