SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Two weeks after Spokane Regional Emergency Communications (SREC)’s AI triage system went online for the non-emergency crime check line, they report that AI has successfully navigated callers to appropriate resources.
Some callers have attempted to bypass the AI system, but SREC noted that this can delay the call process.
“There is a large amount of people that tried to bypass that in the beginning, but what we’re seeing is that it does delay the call itself,” SREC Deputy Director Kim Arredondo said.
The AI system is designed to expedite assistance for callers.
“They would have already gotten that assistance, but now they’re putting into another queue for non-emergency to be triaged,” Arredondo explained.
Crime Check is a non-emergency line that handles various calls, including those mistakenly directed there instead of to emergency services. The AI determines the appropriate response for each call.
According to initial data to be presented to the SREC Board later this week, since the system went live, 57% of AI-triaged calls were transferred to a live operator, 9% went to a report technician, and others were directed to different agencies.
Non Stop Local also asked if any callers had been directed to the wrong location.
“We haven’t had that experience yet,” Arredondo explained. “I’m sure it’s happened somewhere. It’s AI after all. And so there are kinks that have to be worked out. But we haven’t experienced that locally.”
Despite initial successes, SREC is also identifying points of “friction.”
According to their update, “When callers speak over the system, disconnect early, or don’t answer questions directly, the system may repeat itself, causing delays.”
They key to avoiding potential delays: speaking carefully.
“Clear language would be best utilized,” Arredondo said.
For both AI interactions as part of the triage of Crime Check, and emergency 911 calls, simple sentences and clear descriptors help in resource allocation.
