Feb 19, 2009 1:14 pm US/Central
City Links 911 Calls To Outdoor Security Cameras
New Innovation Brings Real-Time Video For 911 Call Takers
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Thanks to a technological upgrade, calls to 911 in Chicago will now be traced to the nearest outdoor city security camera within seconds.
Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the upgrade to the city 911 system on Thursday. Whenever a 911 call is received, the dispatch system automatically scans the city security camera network, in search of a camera within 150 feet of the address of the call.
Video from the camera will appear in the 911 call taker's computer screen within seconds. The program allows call takers and dispatchers to use the video to provide additional information to first responders and law enforcement in an emergency.
"Chicago is the first big city in the nation to have integrated its camera network into 911 operations, and it greatly enhances not only our Homeland Security strategy, but also our ability to fight crime," Mayor Daley said in a news release.
Added city Office of Emergency Management and Communications Director Raymond Orozco, "Today's upgrades improve upon an already outstanding system, and will allow us to move into the next generation of efficiency in emergency response."
The innovation was paid for by a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which also funded several upgrades to the city's emergency dispatch computer system.
The city operates thousands of security cameras on city streets, parks, and public school property.
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