MUSCATINE COUNTY, Iowa — Making a 911 call can be extremely stressful, and sometimes it's hard in that moment to accurately describe what's going on to the dispatcher. However, that may no longer be the case in Muscatine County.
The program is called 'Prepared Live,' and essentially, it's like having a facetime call with a dispatcher.
"So when you call 911, the dispatcher can turn around and send a link to your phone. If you accept that link and click on it, it will open up a livestream so the dispatchers can see exactly what is going on," said Emergency Management Director Chris Jasper.
Muscatine County received over 15,000 911 calls last year. This new technology will help dispatchers better understand the situation when someone calls. Ben Sharpe has been a dispatcher in Muscatine County for seven years and he says this will be an excellent tool for he and his co-workers.
"We might see something that they don't think is a weapon, we might see something in the background," said Sharpe.
To maintain callers safety, the program has a feature where the person can black out their screen so possible perpetrators will thing their phone is off.
Jasper stated that they have received some concerns of people thinking dispatchers will get access to their phone if they accept the livestream link, but that is not the case.
"We will not have access to any multimedia, any text messages, anything on your phone when you click that link," Jasper assured.
Chris tells me that the mental health of dispatchers is of top priority accross the country. On top of having counselors available, the service has a feature where dispatchers can blur the video if they find it uncomfortable to watch.
Just like any regular 911 call, the video is the dispatch centers property, and can be used in court if necessary. Muscatine County hopes to officially launch the program on Friday.