A new tool for the Jefferson City 911 system officially launched Tuesday, and authorities said this technology puts the local emergency dispatch service among the most sophisticated in the state.
Smart911 is a free service that allows individuals and families to sign up online to provide key information to 911 dispatchers during an emergency.
Smart911 allows individuals to create a safety profile for their household. The profiles can include information residents might want emergency personnel to know, such as health conditions, garage door passcodes or spare key locations. Subscribers are not required to add such information.
"Based on addresses a person enters into the system, they can receive alerts from multiple counties," Jefferson City Police Department Lt. Chad Stieferman said. "Also, if a person is the victim of a crime while they are in another part of the country, say their is vehicle stolen, then if they have vehicle information in their profile, authorities across the country can be on the lookout for that vehicle."
When a person makes an emergency call, his or her safety profile is automatically displayed to the 911 call taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right information.
The system includes a feature allowing a 911 operator to initiate a text message conversation if a subscriber calls but is unable to speak.
The JCPD, which operates the 911 system; Cole County Emergency Management Office; and Cole County Sheriff's Department have been working since February to install the Smart911 app by Rave Mobility Safety.
The app is available to download on mobile phones at the Apple App Store or Google Play. More information is available at Smart911.com as well as on the city's website, jeffersoncitymo.gov, or the Cole County website, colecounty.org. Flyers with information about the system have been sent out with Cole County property tax forms.
Last year, the Cole County Commission and Jefferson City Council each agreed to pay half of the $22,000 cost to install the system.
"Authorities can't determine how much information a person puts in; the user has control," Stieferman said. "Users of the system will be asked to update their information every six months so that authorities have the most up-to-date information."