Spokane County deploys AI to handle non-emergency 911 calls
Spokane Regional Emergency Communications implemented an AI answering system two months ago that automatically triages calls to its Crime Check non-emergency line, directing callers to appropriate resources without human involvement. The system has processed more than 55,000 calls, with over 30% resolved without a communications officer speaking to the caller.
The system addresses a practical problem: non-emergency callers waited in queues while dispatchers handled priority emergency calls. Many calls should route to other agencies entirely-animal control, police front desks, or other departments-but dispatchers spent time fielding them anyway.
"When we look at the workload for our staff, those are a lot of calls that we can't actually help that citizen, but they still need the resource," said Kim Arredondo, deputy director of Spokane Regional Emergency Communications. "Using this software allows us to still get them the resources they need without burdening the staff on a call that wasn't theirs to begin with."
The AI greets callers with: "To get you to the right place, please tell me how I can help you." The system then routes calls based on what the caller describes.
Some callers attempt to bypass the system to reach a human dispatcher. Doing so puts them back in the queue behind emergency calls-the opposite of what they want. Arredondo noted that using the system as designed actually speeds up the process.
The setup frees dispatchers to spend more time on actual emergencies while ensuring non-emergency callers still get directed to help. Officials continue monitoring performance as they balance automation with public safety needs.
For communications professionals, this case illustrates how AI for customer support and AI Agents & Automation can reduce staff burden by handling routine triage-though public acceptance remains uneven.
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