Muscatine County Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) is launching an expanded set of 911 services, including video livestream.

Built by the company Prepared, the software enables the Muscatine 911 dispatch center to livestream, receive multimedia, and receive location from mobile callers in real time, according to a Tuesday press release.

(muscatineiowa.gov)

This addition to its technology suite will significantly improve the ability to effectively and efficiently respond to emergencies in the community, MUSCOM said.

“The ability for our Public Safety Dispatchers to view live streaming from 911 callers will give our first responders a better understanding of exactly what type of situations they will be entering,” Chris Jasper, Director of Emergency Management and 911 for Muscatine County, said.  “We hope that this will enhance officer safety and give them more accurate information before they arrive on scene.”

Participation in video streaming during a call is completely voluntary and consent of the caller is required. If the caller consents, they will receive a livestream link via text from the dispatcher, enabling them to activate live video upon clicking to activate the link.

Participation in video 911 streaming is completely voluntary and consent of the caller is required,

It is important to note that the video call function will not provide MUSCOM with access to the contents or settings of a caller’s phone, the release said.

The launch follows three weeks of preparation and training to ensure that the dispatchers and the team are able to properly use the software. Working with Prepared’s customer success team, MUSCOM has created and adopted policies to ensure that “Prepared Live” is used effectively in various scenarios.

“We are very excited to start utilizing ‘Prepared Live’ in our center as it has proven to help tremendously in various capacities across the country,” Jasper said.  

Originally founded as a company focused on school safety, Prepared is a mission-driven organization with a passion for improving public safety. In creating an app to help mitigate school emergencies, the team discovered that valuable data is lost in existing 911 processes and set out to address the problem.

Since public launch in October of 2021, Prepared Live has helped protect over two million American citizens in cities around the country, MUSCOM said.

To learn more about Prepared, visit the Prepared911 website HERE.