IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Iredell County Emergency Communications and the Sheriff’s Office have launched RapidSOS 911 Live Video, a new tool designed to greatly improve the county’s emergency response efforts.
The new technology enables 911 callers to stream live video to emergency dispatchers and responders. By providing a visual view of the situation, it helps deputies and telecommunicators better assess incidents and make more informed decisions before arriving on scene.
“If we’re seeing a group of people breaking into a car and it’s a clear enough image, we can potentially see logos on clothing that can help us potentially identify suspects,” said Stephen Smith with 911 IT support.
After a caller opts in, they receive a secure link that activates a live video stream from their device. This real-time visual access gives responders valuable insight into the situation, allowing for more accurate and timely action.
Iredell Sherriff Darren Campbell strongly supports the idea. He believes the video could make a difference in various investigations.
“Shootings, wrecks … (I) think if you’re in a bad situation maybe domestic violence and you couldn’t talk on the phone you can actually prop the phone down and video and audio would be recording,” Campbell said.
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