DeKalb County 911 to add geo-fencing, AI callbacks and transcription assist

DeKalb County 911 is rolling out several technology upgrades intended to reduce duplicate calls and free call taker time. Deputy Director Ingrid McNeely described a geo-fencing feature approved for deployment that will detect multiple callers reporting the same incident by zip code or locality and prompt callers to indicate whether they have new information; callers who do not will receive a "thank you" message and not be placed in queue.

McNeely said the center went live on the Apex telephone system last November, which includes an automatic callback and AI capacity to contact callers and assess whether a live call taker is still needed. She also described an internal "Admin Assist" tool that will transcribe calls so staff can copy and paste caller-provided details into the computer-aided dispatch system and focus more on caller needs rather than typing. "All the calls will be transcribed, and they can just copy and paste what you said and put it into our computer aided dispatch," McNeely said.