Michigan lawmakers have introduced proposals to bring a higher level of technology to the state’s 911 system.
Bills in the state house and senate would provide more than 16 million dollars for communities to upgrade to the new 911 system, known as Next Generation 911.
Harriet Miller-Brown is the State 911 Administrator. She said with NG 911, callers will be able to send additional information like pictures, video, and text messaging directly through the 911 call centers.
“Say you happen to witness an accident and you want to report it and the extent of the damage. To quickly take a picture and deliver that with your 911 call to assist first responders with their responding to the incident”.
Miller-Brown said right now some counties can accept 911 text messages, but no system in Michigan is fully equipped with Next Generation capabilities.
She said NG 911 is not to be confused with “Smart 911” which many counties currently use. Smart 911 is a third party service, that provides the Dispatcher with personal supplemental data, such as medical history or a hidden key location.