“SRPD is proud of our PSCB Dispatchers who were absolutely able to save the life of this person due to the technological partnership with RapidDeploy and their game changing services.”
- Joe Orozco, Public Information Officer of the Salt River Police Department (SRPD)
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Dispatchers received a distress call from a witness who heard a man yelling for help near the Granite Reef dam.
Recognizing the urgency, the call was quickly transferred to the SRPD. Utilizing RapidDeploy's Radius Mapping, real-time text was initiated to the witness, enabling telecommunicators to capture the caller’s exact latitude and longitude, pinpointing the location.
This critical information provided enhanced real-time communications, which allowed emergency services to efficiently locate and navigate their way to reach the man in distress, and ultimately, save his life.
RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping is leveraged across the state of Arizona. By harnessing the power of RapidDeploy's Next Generation call-taking map, telecommunicators, first responders and 911 agencies are equipped with the tools they need to improve emergency response and drive life-saving outcomes.
Watch the incredible save story from the SRPD team in Arizona here:
Nestled at the edge of the Appalachian Mountains, Carter County, Tennessee, boasts a population of over 50,000 residents. Responsible for managing emergency calls from the local area, the Carter County Emergency Communications District 911 (TN) plays a pivotal role in ensuring public safety. In July 2023, the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board allocated funds to integrate Radius Mapping into Carter County 911’s infrastructure.
Radius Mapping provides telecommunicators in Carter County with indispensable support and functionality previously unavailable to them. The platform's rapid, precise location tracking features empower dispatchers to visualize a caller’s position on a map of the local area in real-time. Accurate location data is paramount for deploying emergency response resources, particularly in scenarios where callers fail to provide precise addresses or when threats span multiple jurisdictions.
RapidDeploy Offers Crucial Call-Mapping Functionality
The real test of this technology came in February 2024 when telecommunicators utilized it to pinpoint a series of brief 911 calls, one of which included a shooting threat directed at a local school. Just months after the installation of Radius Mapping, the platform proved its worth in a critical emergency communications event. On February 1, 2024, telecommunicators received a call from a 911-only phone—a device that typically cannot receive calls, even from emergency officials. The caller reported a threat of violence but disconnected abruptly, providing an address outside Carter County 911’s jurisdiction. Radius mapped the call to cell towers near the county border, initiating collaboration with neighboring jurisdictions.
Location Tracking Facilitates Fast, Accurate Emergency Response
Approximately 25 minutes later, another call from the same device hinted at a shooting threat directed at the local school system. With Radius Mapping, telecommunicators swiftly identified the caller’s location at Happy Valley High School. Immediate action followed the precise identification of the caller’s location. School resource officers and patrol officers from adjacent jurisdictions were promptly notified, leading to a comprehensive lockdown and search across multiple schools in the vicinity.
Through the utilization of 911 call recordings and Radius Mapping data, authorities swiftly apprehended three juveniles, each charged with threatening mass violence on school property and false reporting.
The case of Carter County exemplifies how innovative technology like RapidDeploy’s Radius Mapping can revolutionize emergency response, ensuring swift, targeted action in critical situations. By harnessing the power of technology, communities can bolster their resilience and protect lives in the face of adversity.
