Texas 911 call center going to new tech

By Wendy Hundley
The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS — One day in the near future, a cellphone user who spots a robbery in progress could send a streaming video of the unfolding crime to the local 911 call center.

The video could give authorities vital, up-to-the-minute information about the crime scene, a glimpse of the suspects, and potential dangers for police and the public.

This is one feature that will be available through the “next generation 911" technology. It will allow emergency call centers to receive text messages, streaming videos and automatic crash notification data.

Public safety officials say it may be years before these new features will be available throughout the country, but a Denton County emergency communication district is making plans to be on the cutting edge.

“We’re putting the infrastructure in place,” said Mike Pedigo, executive director of Denco Area 911 District that serves Flower Mound and 33 other municipalities in Denton County.

Denco is in the process of upgrading its 911 network so the system will be ready when the new communication tools are available.

The 911 system is expanding beyond phone calls because people are changing the way they communicate, said Jim Goerke, CEO of the Texas 911 Alliance that represents 24 of the 76 emergency 911 authorities throughout the state.

He said surveys show that people expect the 911 system to keep pace with the current multimedia environment and officials are responding with the “next generation” technology.

“Much of the industry around the country is engaged in moving forward or planning for it,” he said. “Denco is one of the 911 authorities in Texas that’s leading the way.”

But Goerke also acknowledged that concerns have been raised about whether these additional communication features will overburden 911 call centers.

“Those are matters that will have to be addressed in the migration to a next-generation environment,” he said.

In the meantime, the popularity of new communication tools cannot be overlooked.

Texting has become the preferred communication method for hearing-impaired people, but 911 centers cannot receive text messages or video streaming, Pedigo said.

“This will be a huge upgrade for them,” he said.

Currently, 911 call centers communicate with hearing-impaired callers through a TTY system that uses a telephone handset and special acoustic cups.

“It’s outdated, for the most part, already,” Pedigo said.

Car safety systems such as OnStar can call 911 centers when there’s a crash. But the future technology will allow these systems to transmit vital crash data — such as how fast the vehicle was traveling at the time of impact, the number of passengers or whether the vehicle has flipped over, Pedigo said.

“The new system will allow all kinds of data available not just to call takers but it could be handed off to hospitals or ambulances,” he said.

Despite the potential that the new technology holds, he doesn’t think it will ever replace the sound of a human voice answering a call from a person in need of emergency help.

“The best information that our call takers get is what people tell them,” Pedigo said.

Copyright 2010 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS