Anoka County, Minn., Lets AI Answer Nonemergency Calls
Anoka County, Minn., Lets AI Answer Nonemergency Calls
https://www.govtech.com/artificial-intelligence/anoka-county-minn-lets-ai-answer-nonemergency-calls
Publish Date: 2026-05-06 17:32:00
Source Domain: www.govtech.com
- Anoka County’s Emergency Communication Center is testing an AI call taker to handle nonemergency calls and free up dispatchers for high-priority emergencies.
- AI will field low-priority nonemergency calls, such as parking complaints or noise concerns, while 911 calls will continue to be answered by dispatchers.
- The AI tool aims to help manage the average 1,100 calls per day, with two-thirds of them being non-urgent.
- Dispatcher workloads will be relieved so they can focus more on critical incidents, as they can field up to 150 calls daily.
- The system is also intended to provide better customer service and quicker transfer to a live dispatcher if needed, complete with a call transcript.
- A public demo line is available to test the AI assistant’s functionality.
- Similar AI-driven systems are in use in other municipalities, such as Dakota County, which handles 33% of its non-urgent calls through AI.
- The AI call taker is expected to be fully operational soon, complementing the emergency communication center’s existing workflow.
