A.I. Call Taker Will Begin Taking Over Police Nonemergency Phone Lines Next Week
A.I. Call Taker Will Begin Taking Over Police Nonemergency Phone Lines Next Week
Versaterm’s Case Service software program. That name may sound familiar: Since at least 2015, the Portland Police Bureau has contracted with Versaterm to manage its records. It’s also the same company that manages BOEC’s computer-aided dispatch system. The Oregonian reported in 2019 that Versaterm’s records management system was plagued by glitches and delays.
With the software, an automated voice asks callers to the non-emergency number whether they want to stay on the line for a dispatcher or get transferred to the software.
If they choose the latter, they’re given three options: They can submit information about an incident online, through an app, or verbally over the phone. The virtual officer, named “Cayce,” gathers basic information: date, time and location of the incident and a description of what took place—akin to filling in the blanks of a police report.