MANCHESTER – Anyone with a smartphone calling into 911 can now provide dispatchers in Manchester Township a live view of what they’re seeing.
Manchester Township Police recently rolled out “911eye,” an emergency video streaming service. Police Chief Lisa Parker said the service will “fundamentally change” how her department responds to calls.
“By using this cutting-edge technology, our dispatchers will have the option of viewing a live video stream from the caller’s smartphone via a secure, ‘one-time-use’ link which is sent to them in a text. All of this can be accomplished without the need to download or install an App and can only be done with the caller’s permission,” Parker said.
To share video, callers will need to click on a link sent to them via text so dispatchers can establish a connection.
Police officials said the live view will aid in not only their effectiveness in responding, but in promoting both public and police safety.
“By obtaining real-time situational awareness, dispatchers and police supervisors will be able to make more informed decisions with regard to asset deployment and allocation,” Parker said. “In times when seconds are oftentimes critical components of a response, this new technology can be a game-changer.”
911eye use is voluntary, and once the call is terminated, police will no longer have access to the phone’s camera. No video or photos are ever stored on the caller’s device.
Media that is captured is encrypted and secured on a dedicated cloud server.
“I’m proud that Manchester Township is the first municipality in the country to purchase and deploy this cutting-edge technology, and at no cost to the taxpayers as it was paid for through drug forfeiture funds,” Parker said.
