PHOENIX — Phoenix Police will begin to use artificial intelligence to alleviate pressure on 911 dispatchers.
Wait times for the non-emergency line can be upwards of two hours at times, according to Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien.
She told KTAR News 92.3 FM she heard from concerned residents at a community meeting who told her they’d just give up because it took too long to report a non-emergency problem.
O’Brien discovered that 911 operators are also responsible for answering the non-emergency line and started to look for a solution.
What was O’Brien’s solution to alleviate non-emergency line pressure and wait times?
She found an AI company used in Portland, Ore. to direct non-emergency calls.
“They were handling 24,000 non-emergency calls a month for Portland,” O’Brien said.
Phoenix already contracts with the Canadian software company Versaterm and the police department will begin using its AI program CallTriage to direct non-emergency calls starting Wednesday.
It starts by asking you a series of questions to determine how to direct your call and if you may need an emergency operator. The AI system can speak 36 languages. But if you prefer to speak with a human over AI, it will also give you that option.
The Phoenix Police Department gets more than 500,000 non-emergency call a year.
The non-emergency line can be reached at 602-262-6151 to report a noise complaint, parking issue or concern about the community that doesn’t require an immediate response.
“A non-emergency is something like getting to report graffiti or maybe somebody suspicious in the neighborhood,” O’Brien said.
Phoenix 911 dispatchers are looking forward to using the new AI system for non-emergency calls because it will ease some of the pressure they face in a high-stress, high burn out career.
O’Brien said it will allow operators to focus on real emergencies and give community members a new avenue to report concerns.
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