VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff's Office has launched a new, real-time 911 system that reduces the response time for deputies on patrol.

What You Need To Know

  • The Volusia County Sheriff's Office launched the new Live 911 system

  • This technology allows deputies on patrol to listen to the 911 calls in real time

  • Deputies can set a radius based on their designated zone so they can hear the calls closest to them

  • According to Sheriff Mike Chitwood, it takes between 3 to 6 minutes from the moment someone calls 911 to when deputies are dispatched. He said Live 911 reduces that time to less than a minute

“Our response time was pretty good going by the old metric of call taker, then dispatcher to responding," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. "In some cases, we would be getting there in under 3 minutes. I think 90% of our calls, we were there in under 3 minutes. With this system in place, there’s going to be times that we’re actually in the block when that call is going off or we’re a block away or a quarter of a mile away."

The Live 911 system allows deputies to listen to the calls in real time. For Volusia County deputy Zarren Rutledge, every day is different.

“The area I work has a good variety of calls for service,” said Rutledge, who has been with the agency for six years.

His day starts with a briefing before heading out to patrol the area.

“And after briefing, we’ll go out to our designated areas and we’ll conduct area patrols, traffic enforcement, and then, of course, respond to calls for service,” Rutledge said.

Rutledge and deputies like him like to listen to the calls for service in real time.

The Live 911 reduces the time to respond to less than a minute, compared to 3 to 6 minutes when deputies are dispatched to calls, Chitwood said.

“With the Live 911, we hear it live as the call is coming. So as soon as they get an address and we set the radius so it could be right next to us, and we’ll hear it calling out so we can respond and be there as they’re still on the phone with dispatch before the call is even generated in some instances,” Rutledge said.

When they get a call on the Live 911, the computer sends a notification tone and a pop-up icon shows up on the screen with the information for the call for service and a GPS location of the area.

“Hearing the background information yourself, it gives you more information, helps you be better prepared for whatever investigation you may do, as well as officer safety. If you hear something that maybe the call taker didn’t, that’s going to affect how you go into the situation,” Rutledge said.

Every deputy on patrol can set a radius based on their designated zone so they can hear the calls closest to them. Rutledge said reducing the response time with the Live 911 system can make the difference between life and death in some situations.

“For one that came out we heard the 911 call, and it was a shooting and it ended up ultimately being an accidental shooting, but we were able to turn around and get headed in the direction of it before the call was even dispatched,” Rutledge said.

At the Sheriff's Office Communications Center, dispatchers continue to play a key role in responding to 911 calls and routing them to the right agency. 

It’s a team effort with a common goal — preservation of life. That is something Rutledge said is top of mind as a new father.

“It enables us to better accomplish our job, better help people that need it when there’s an emergency call," Rutledge said. "It enables us to better preserve life, and better enforce Florida statute.”

Sheriff Chitwood said the Live 911 system serves as another tool in the toolbox for law enforcement officers, especially as they work to tackle gun violence, by having a greater response in the community to make it safer.