City staff said the local 9-1-1 dispatch center is testing AI-driven transcription, expanding radio connectivity through a statewide microwave network and budgeting modest recurring costs to support interim 9-1-1 data transmission.

The upgrades are intended to give dispatchers near–real-time text of callers and translated Spanish-to-English transcriptions, which staff said should improve understanding during calls. Staff member 2 (staff member) said, "Today, we are able to I think in a month, the system reviewed 1,300 calls, automatically. We're still in tuning the system." The staff member added, "it translated the Spanish into English and gave us the English translation in the transcription," noting the team had not expected that feature.

Why it matters: better transcription and translation can help dispatchers interpret caller intent and medical or safety details more quickly. Staff said the system remains in a tuning stage and that further improvements will follow testing.

Staff described how the new radio architecture connects to core servers in Lincoln using a statewide microwave backbone and an interim system for 9-1-1 data transmission. Staff member 2 said the connectivity carries an ongoing cost of "about a $2,500 a year" and that the department had budgeted "a few thousand dollars for new costs for connectivity." That line item is separate from the radio equipment itself.

The staff member also discussed radio bands and coverage limitations. "Since the state system is VHF inherently ... so that if we needed to, we could go to their old UHF," staff member 2 said, and warned the upgrade "will certainly upgrade it to the west end. They're far northwest corner. It may not reach up into ... Sentara." The staff member said some areas — including the far northwest — could still experience weak coverage after the initial upgrades.

Staff noted other benefits and dependencies for the rollout. The transcript records mention of a state public service commission and regionally run systems; staff said the system connects to large servers in Lincoln and uses statewide microwave links for backhaul.

There were no formal votes or motions recorded on these technology items during the meeting. Staff said they will continue tuning the AI transcription and assessing coverage after the new radio links are activated.