County 911 staff brief Salinas advisory committee on call handling, priorities and limited AI use
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Summary
County of Monterey emergency communications staff told the Salinas Community Advisory Committee that call takers receive 4 weeks of classroom training plus ~16 weeks on-the-job training, that calls are prioritized by threat to life, and that limited AI assists nonemergency lines and can push reporting links into the CAD system.
Leslie Reganti, emergency communications manager for the County of Monterey, and assistant director Olivia Madrigal told the Salinas Community Advisory Committee that 911 calls are handled by trained call takers who enter information into a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system and then dispatchers assign officers and monitor their safety.
Reganti said call takers receive a four-week in-house academy followed by about 16 weeks paired with a training officer, and that the team handles calls for multiple law-enforcement and fire jurisdictions. "We have about 12 to 15 employees on at any given time," Reganti said, describing how call takers and dispatchers share phone- and radio-duty to cover demand.
The presenters outlined how calls are categorized and prioritized by threat to life: Priority 1 cases (for example, gunshot victims, structure fires or serious vehicle injuries) get immediate response; lower priorities cover nonemergency issues such as parking or abandoned vehicles. Reganti emphasized that call details are continuously updated in CAD so dispatchers can adjust responses as new information arrives.
On technology, Reganti and Madrigal said AI is currently used on the nonemergency phone line to provide menu prompts, offer links for online reporting and — in some incidents — to push resource information to callers. "During the Moss Landing power fire, we were able to add resource links and evacuation information," Reganti said, noting AI can supply callers relevant websites or forms but is not a substitute for trained call takers and dispatchers.
Presenters also explained operational limits: abandoned-vehicle removals are constrained by state and contract rules that generally prohibit towing at night or on weekends; dispatchers will refer after-hours reports to a dedicated line and use overtime staff when volumes require it. Mutual aid requests, they said, are normally made by on-scene officers or watch commanders when additional units are needed.
Chief Acosta told the committee that the department’s AB 481 report had been released that afternoon and that the department will present the report to the PCAC and to the public at scheduled meetings. Staff later confirmed that the PCAC meeting is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, with a community presentation at 6:00 p.m. in the rotunda.
The committee approved the previous meeting’s minutes by roll call before the presentation. Staff and the presenters said they would follow up on several operational questions raised by members of the public, including the number to report abandoned vehicles and further detail about routing of certain cellular calls. The PCAC will hear the AB 481 presentation and accept public questions at the Feb. 25 meeting.
