The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has launched a software system that enables 911 dispatch centers to live stream, receive multimedia, and receive location from mobile callers in real time. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says Prepared Live technology will significantly improve emergency response throughout the entire county. Schmidt says in emergency situations, there are many cases where it is safer or more convenient for a person to communicate with 911 via text message rather than a phone call. With Prepared Live, dispatchers can send a quick text to hang-up callers to confirm their safety. There are additional circumstances under which 911 may then text a video link to the caller to get more information for responding units. Schmidt says Prepared Live was chosen to proactively address a growing number of 911 hang-up calls. Prepared Live also provides an exact GPS location of the emergency. Participation in video during a call is completely voluntary and consent of the caller is required. This launch follows 8 weeks of preparation and training.
