5-21-15 REP-AM.COM RepublicanAmerican Wolcott tests new dispatch system that locates cell callers Next-Gen 911 starts this morning [BY ANDREW LAREON REPUBLICAN AMERICAN. “Trursday, May 21,2015 £05 AM EDT WOLCOTT —At 10:20 arm. today, the dispatch center at Walcot Police Department will become ore of the first in the state fuse the Next-Gen 911 system, which allows pole to pinpoint the location of an emergency call Callers wont notice any change, but he new system will hep potce respond to cals more efficiently. “ats enhancing tne safely f everybody" Police Chiet Edward Stophons cai. Currently, about 80 percent of 911 calls come from wireless By nN ‘a ‘Phones. Unlike landline phones, which are ed toa specitc (Malai x ‘treat address, collphones provide imprecise infomation Wolcott Police Chie! Edward Stephens, eft, and ‘about the callers locaton, GGary Chirgwin of Telocommanicatione Systom look over the new 911 upgrade athe police staton in “Coming up Southington Mountain near Walsh's (GA), Wolcott on Tuesday The system wil improve the youre between Southingion and Cheshire and sometimes dispatchers ably to pinpoint the caller's locaton, ‘We're unable to detect which town the ca is coming fom,” Steven Valent Republican-Amevican Stophons cad. "This now eyetom will alow us to pnpolnt OOo» ‘xacty where they are” Under the old system, police could see the location of aweless 914 call within a quarters radius, With Next ‘Gen, a screen shows dispatchers the caller's location within a 50-ft radius. In some cases, its as precise asa few Inenes. Wolcott one ofthe fist police depariments inthe state to start using the technology. Nine other dispatch centers ‘are patiipating inthe pilot program: New Brizin, Wilton, Enfield, Newington, Valley Shore, Fairfield, Mdleiown, Mashantuccet and Shelton. “They'e gning to monitor the pila locations and see how ts working, and iis working satisfactory, that's when _main rolout will begin" sid Sgt. Shane Hassel, 2 slate police spokesman Ho said tha stato hopes to hava the technology inetallod at all of Connocticu’s public safaly answoring points by ‘spring 2016. [ATAT and Denver-based Telacommunications Systems have bean inalaling new hardware at Woleat Police Department for several wesks, The cost of the new equipment s covered by the sats knowing the exact locaton ofa call wil be especially Important when responding to 911 hang-ups, polloe said. Instead of searching a large area for an emergency, Next-Gen wil alow potce to identiy the house of rough ‘coordinates where the 911 call was placed ‘Also, i will improve response tirnos and should roduce tho number of cals that are misrouted to towne Ika Woloott, ‘which has a higher elevation than sutounding tewns and is near a major highway. "Thad bactcto-back calls about an aldery person walking along I-84," said Dave Vallata, call should have been routed crecy to slats polos. Wolcott cispaicher: The ‘Next-Gen technology will eventually enable polce departments to receive 911 text messages — and to respond by text5-21-15 “Lets say someone is locked in a coset and cant tak on the phone," Stephens said. "Dispatchers willbe able receive a text nd send a response back" I's unclear when software alowing dispatch centers to aocept 311 text messages will be deployed, but once they Undergo the Next-Gen uogrede, the hardware ready, seid Gary Chirgwin, of Telecommuricatons Systems, Visit rep-am.com to comment on ths story.