Livestreaming emergency 911 calls to first responders increases situational awareness and significantly improves response times.
Since its incorporation in 1912, Clovis, California has been known as the Gateway to the Sierra due to its location at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Clovis is ranked as the safest city in the Central Valley and was recently named the “Best City in California to Raise a Family.” “These are true testaments to all the employees and volunteers who work diligently to provide a secure community for all of us,” said Curt Fleming, Chief of Police.
Clovis-native Police Lt. Jim Munro has seen a lot of growth and improvements during his 22 years with the agency. As a teenager, a family member took him on a few ride-alongs and he became hooked on law enforcement. As a student at California State University in nearby Fresno, Munro worked as a part-time dispatcher for Clovis PD working graveyard shifts and weekends. He then attended the policy academy and became a sworn officer.
Upon rising through the ranks to Sergeant, Munro returned to dispatch for several years as its supervisor. “The dispatchers were excited to know my past experience and that I understood exactly what they were dealing with,” said Munro. “However, from a technology perspective, much had changed in fifteen years. When I was working there previously, we were still using rolodexes, binders full of information sheets, and a very basic DOS-based command line system.” The communication center was now equipped with advanced technology such as a dynamic Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and Records Management System (RMS).
Clovis PD continues reputation as an early adopter of innovative technology
Munro is now a Lieutenant. In addition to supervising patrol shifts, he oversees all of the technology projects for the department, including a video unit of 450 cameras placed strategically throughout Clovis, a new drone as first responder program, and, most recently, Live911.
In 2019, Chief Fleming and Munro visited the Chula Vista Police Department in San Diego County to review its drone as a first responder (DFR) program. At the time, CVPD’s drone command center was beta testing a new technology that livestreamed 911 emergency calls and showed the precise GPS map location of the caller. This solution was giving CPVP drone operators a “head start” launching a drone in advance of the call details being dispatched to officers.
When we saw Live911 in action, we thought that would be a really, really good idea for our officers in the field. We’re always looking for innovative ways to make our staff more efficient
– Lt. Jim Munro, Clovis Police Department
Employing new strategies and advanced technology to maximize efficiency
Whether in dispatch, patrol, or records, Clovis PD is always seeking innovation that can be used to optimize its limited resources. This is especially important because the city of Clovis is growing at the same time the police department is experiencing staffing challenges. “We want technology that can make a difference, safeguard our community, and allow the police department to operate more effectively. That is why we wanted to test Live911, because we felt it checked those boxes,” said Munro.
Munro contacted HigherGround, a developer of solution-based software, and became the second police department in the U.S. to beta test Live911 technology. With Live911, Clovis’ officers can hear the caller’s voice in realtime revealing the sense of urgency, small details that may not otherwise be provided, and have access to immediate updates on the situation. In addition, Live911 uses RapidSOS to identify caller location details previously available only to dispatchers.
“Even though our dispatchers are super-fast and do great work, depending on how busy they are, it can take a minute and a half to two minutes to get that information out to the officers in the field,” says Munro. “Live911 has been a game changer to be honest with you.”
We’ve never had the opportunity in my 22 years to listen in the car to 911 calls live as they come in, this has significantly reduced our response times and provided a lot more details about the incident.”
– Lt. Jim Munro, Clovis Police Department
First responders receive vital information in real time
Officers on patrol were listening to Live911 when they heard a medical aid call about a person in cardiac arrest that eventually and correctly dispatched for ambulance. As the call was coming in, the unit was located close to the scene and arrived on site while CPR was being performed by the victim’s brother. The police officers took over CPR compressions and used a bag mask valve ventilation technique until the subject started breathing and had a pulse. Soon after, EMS arrived and transported the revived person. Had Live911 not been in place, the officers wouldn’t have known about this emergency or been able to provide aid as it was never dispatched to patrol.
Clovis completed its initial six-month test of 20 licenses. Munro received positive feedback from officers and noted his department had experienced a quick and easy learning curve to incorporate Live911 into their operations. Now, Live911 has been fully deployed and is available to all of Clovis’ 100 officers serving this community of 119,175 citizens.
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