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The Broward County, in southern Florida, will modernize its 911 emergency system with technology that will allow citizens to live stream video directly to dispatchers during an emergency, local authorities announced.
The county commissioners approved the contract with Motorola Solutions on Tuesday, valued at 25 million dollars over the course of a decade, which will fund the complete transformation of the emergency dispatch system.
The new system will not only allow for real-time video transmission but also the sending of recorded videos, photos, and text messages to the 911 operator, in addition to enhanced digital tracking capabilities for the caller's location.
The mayor of Broward, Mark Bogen, described the technological leap in strong terms: "This takes it to a completely different level of technology. It's like going from a modem to high-speed internet."
Bogen explained that the new tool radically changes the response capability: "You can send a video to the 911 operator to show where you are and what is happening."
The system will also improve the accuracy with which dispatchers identify the caller's location: "It gives the person answering the phone more opportunity to know what is happening and to identify that person and their location more accurately," Bogen noted.
The mayor emphasized the global impact of modernization: "It really gives our law enforcement officers and the 911 dispatch a much more complete picture of how they can provide assistance to those in need."
The contract will be funded through the state 911 fee managed by the Florida Department of Management Services, which means it will not represent an additional direct cost to county taxpayers.
A similar technology is already in operation in the neighboring county of Miami-Dade, where the Carbyne c-Live Universe platform was implemented through a pilot program launched in 2022 and has shown improvements in response speed and the ability to save lives.
Broward is one of the most populous counties in Florida, with over 1.9 million residents, and its dispatch center handles tens of thousands of calls each year.
Nationally, the implementation of the Next Generation 911 system is uneven, and according to Police Chief Magazine, no county has yet achieved a fully integrated system, positioning South Florida as a pioneering region in this transformation.
Bogen concluded his defense of the measure with a straightforward statement: "It is worth providing safety to the public. Saving even a single life is worth it."
The new system is expected to be operational by mid2028.
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