Pennington County OKs 3‑year AI assist contract for 911 dispatch

Pennington County commissioners on Tuesday authorized a three‑year contract with Prepared Communication for AI‑assisted call taking, dispatch assistance and quality assurance software for the Emergency Services Communication Center.

Kevin Carley, director of the 911 center, described the product as a tool the dispatcher uses to transcribe calls in real time, summarize the conversation and surface key details to reduce missed information during high workload moments. "The dispatcher... can refer back; they don't miss anything that the caller is saying," Carley said during his presentation.

Carley told the commission the product was selected after 18 months of testing and live demos. He said Prepared included radio‑traffic transcription and quality‑assurance tools at no additional cost in the negotiated bundle. Staff said the service was already included as a line item in the 2026 budget.

Commission discussion focused on whether the AI replaces live dispatchers; staff emphasized the system is assistive and does not replace human dispatchers or the county’s primary voice recording systems. A motion to enter the three‑year service order (Service Order No. 1540) with Prepared, at approximately $139,006.05 for year 1 and roughly $138,004.05 for years 2 and 3, was moved and seconded; the board approved the contract by voice vote.

Commissioners asked staff to continue oversight of the implementation and to ensure the system’s outputs are integrated with existing recording and CAD systems and that privacy and retention policies are observed.