KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
It’s National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week — a time to recognize the voices who answer 911 calls. In Johnson County, the sheriff’s office is bringing in artificial intelligence to help train those voices behind the phone.
Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputies handle high-stakes situations where every second can mean the difference between life and death. Starting next month, dispatchers will begin training with AI technology designed to better prepare them for the unpredictability of emergency calls.
“Deputies who are answering the phone or on the radio, they're not the ones that are seen by the public,” said Lieutenant David Ross with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. “We're not the public facing division physically, but we are the first point of contact.”
Ross says that the department often receives unpredictable calls.
“The rule of thumb is, if you don't know who to call, call dispatch. So we get a lot of kind of one-off, off-the-wall calls that no one has ever heard before,” said Ross.
To prepare for those moments, deputies are turning to CommsCoach AI, a call simulation tool.
“We're able to create simulations within the AI that we can take either new deputies or use as a training tool for seasoned deputies, where they can go in and simulate a phone call,” said Ross.
Ross let me try an AI training call for myself.
I started by asking, “911, where’s your emergency?”
“There’s a child here at Black Bob Park and he looks lost,” the AI responded.
I continued asking questions, and the AI kept responding — until it said: “Oh, I see an officer pulling up now.”
After the call, I could feel the same sense of relief that new deputies will feel before picking up the phone for real.
“With the AI, the call will adapt each time it’s answered,” said Ross. “Every phone call is different.”
The AI will also assist with quality control, reviewing calls after they happen. Ross added that AI has limitations — and every action it takes will still be reviewed by a person.
“It will go in and review phone calls after the call is completed. It'll review them in a matter of minutes, whereas in the past, it may take days or even weeks,” said Ross.
Ross says you won’t hear AI picking up a 911 call anytime soon, but they are learning how to use it to their advantage.
“We are the first agency in Kansas to sign on with Comms Coach AI,” said Ross. “We hope to be the model for how this works in the future.”
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