Jersey City makes sweeping changes to 9-1-1 dispatch system
Officials said the new system will be aimed at reducing misrouted calls and improving response times.
Jersey City is rolling out major upgrades to its emergency dispatch system next month.
Officials said the new system will be aimed at reducing misrouted calls and improving response times.
“If you’re calling 911, that might be the most important phone call you make in your life,” Jersey City Mayor James Solomon said. “You have to have a safe, professional response.”
City leaders said the update addresses a long-standing issue - emergency calls being routed outside of Jersey City.
“The old technology basically routes calls by cellphone tower. You may be calling from the west side of Jersey City and get a tower in Newark or the southern part of the city and get routed to Bayonne," Solomon said. “All that is what we're going to update and change. We're going to have specific geolocation so that we'll know you're calling from Jersey City and you'll be routed directly to Jersey City's call center."
Another major upgrade includes the ability for callers to text 911 after making contact with dispatchers.
“If there’s a video of a crime being taken by the caller, we can ask for permission to use it and send that video right to dispatch,” Jersey City Police Dept Sgt. James Woods said. “Before police even get there, we can see what’s going on.”
The new 911 system is set to go live on May 14.
