The Salem Police Department has announced the launch of a new software program that will enable the 9-1-1 dispatch center to live stream, receive multimedia, and receive location information from mobile callers in real-time.
The software program called Prepared Live will allow telecommunicators to view the incident through the caller’s phone.
Telecommunicator Supervisor Justin Draper says they are excited about this free program. If it is determined that the caller is using a smart device, the telecommunicator will utilize Prepared Live when it is safe for the caller to use and the nature of the incident indicates that it will be beneficial.
Draper says participation in video during a call is completely voluntary and consent of the caller is required. If the caller consents, they will receive a livestream link via text from the telecommunicator, enabling them to activate live video with a click. He adds the video call function does NOT provide Salem Police Department with access to the contents or settings of a caller’s phone with the highest level of confidentiality maintained.
The launch follows several weeks of preparation and training to ensure that the dispatchers were able to properly utilize the software. Draper says working side-by-side with Prepared’s customer success team, they have created and adopted policies to ensure that Prepared Live is used effectively in various scenarios.
Prepared is a mission-driven organization with a passion for improving public safety. In creating an app to help mitigate school emergencies, the team discovered that valuable data is lost in existing 911 processes and set out to address the problem by inventing Prepared Live. Since its public launch in October of 2021, the product has helped protect over 40 million people in 48 states.
To learn more about Prepared and Prepared Live, you may visit Prepared911.com.
