WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – As tornado sirens sounded Saturday night, calls flooded Sedgwick County’s 911 center. Many of the calls weren’t emergencies, including general questions about the storm and why sirens were going off.
‘What could go wrong, unfortunately, did go wrong,’ interim chief says
Typically, when people call 911 in emergencies, communication with a dispatcher is limited to voice only.
But those calling the Ravenna police and fire dispatch center with a cellphone now have the option of providing dispatchers with a livestream video of an incident, thanks to new software.
On Sept. 6, 2022, Cleveland detectives knocked on the door of James Sidelka’s Old Brooklyn home. They were there to tell Sidelka that his daughter, Carly Capek, had been killed in the Cleveland house where she was living.
EVERETT, Wash., June 14, 2023—The Snohomish County 911 dispatch center is Washington state’s largest 911 center by volume, area, and population served, handling an average 2,031 incoming calls or texts for emergency service a day – roughly one call every 42 seconds.
