The Colorado Springs Police Department is testing an AI agent for staffing its non-emergency line

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is turning to an AI software to answer calls for its non-emergency line: (719) 444-7000. This is the phone number people are encouraged to call for non-emergency public safety concerns that are non-life-threatening.

The first round of testing for the AI system took place Wednesday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. If someone calls during the next testing day, they'll be greeted by the AI system called "Sarah", it's an acronym for "Service, Assessment and Response Assistance Helper".

Callers may not realize it's AI, but CSPD said the point of the software is about efficiency and improving response times for emergencies. Colorado Springs Police Deputy Chief John Koch said the non-emergency lines can sometimes get calls completely unrelated to public safety; people asking for directions to a gas station or even asking the start time for a Nuggets game.

"If a call taker is on the telephone for that call, they're not able to immediately pick up a 911 call," Koch said.

CSPD is testing the technology before fully implementing it, but it's something that will likely be here to stay. After testing the system, an evaluation process will take place before it is fully rolled out.

"This is a system that we have purchased; we are testing it to ensure that it meets the requirements that we have and that it will do what we need it to do for our community members," Koch said.

During the testing period, the department said activity will be monitored by communications personnel, and this will have no impact on 911 services.

CSPD has faced staffing issues both with its communications center, which takes the 911 and non-emergency line calls, and with officers. Koch said the goal is not for the AI system to eliminate call taker jobs, but to make it a more efficient process.

"The system has programmed safeguards into it where if it anticipates or hears that there's an emergency situation, a disturbance, a fight, some type of violence, it routes that call immediately to a 911human call taker to be able to process it and first get responders out," Koch said.

This is just the latest piece of technology the department has implemented over the years. CSPD, in a recent press conference with Mayor Mobolade, Chief of Police Adrian Vasquez discussed some of the technological advances the department has made and how that has impacted response times across the city.

You can watch that coverage in the video player below.

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