EDMONDS — The Edmonds Police Department is trying a new way to improve communication with 911 callers.
Edmonds police launched the SPIDR Tech platform on Feb. 8. It updates 911 callers and crime victims about their incidents, and sends customized texts or emails about the case.
911 callers can expect to receive a text message acknowledging their call with updates when an officer is dispatched. People can also take a survey about the incident and how police handled it.
After reporting a car crash, for example, you would receive an incident number and a notification that an officer is on the way. Afterward, a survey asks questions about the dispatch center and interactions with the responding officer, Edmonds Sgt. Josh McClure said.
The survey that follows every emergency event contains different questions depending on the agency. For the Edmonds Police Department, sensitive situations such as domestic violence calls would not receive text messages or alerts, McClure said.
SPIDR Tech was founded by former law enforcement officers with the goal of improving transparency. The public safety company also collaborates with other agencies like fire departments and emergency medical services, said Rohan Galloway-Dawkins, SPIDR Tech’s general manager.
By providing another way to communicate, officers hope they can improve public perception, Edmonds police said.
We are improving the 911 communications process with automated texts and emails!
Learn more here: https://t.co/IxIfSlRmtE pic.twitter.com/0aVFtJuBBF— Edmonds Police Department (@EdmondsPolice) February 7, 2023
“This tool will allow us to hear more about the positive work we’re doing, and in the rare cases that we stub our toe and need to learn a little bit, we can learn about that too,” McClure said.
SPIDR Tech’s parent company, Canada-based Versaterm, has been collecting the data from the program and relaying it to police departments and other agencies since 2015, Galloway-Dawkins said.
“We gather the best practices from agencies around the country,” he said. “Agencies come to Versaterm to better engage with their community, they are invested in providing a higher level of customer service to their community.”
How agencies choose to respond to the data is up to them, Galloway-Dawkins said.
The platform has already been implemented elsewhere in Snohomish County, including the Everett and Lynwood police departments.
Snohomish County 911 pays a subscription to SPIDR Tech to use the service, and each police department in Snohomish County that uses the platform contributes a portion to fund it.
Jonathan Tall: 425-949-2340; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall.
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