Boulder Police will begin routing all calls to its non-emergency line to an AI assistant at the end of October 2026, after weeks of phased testing. The assistant will ask callers why they are calling and gather information in English or Spanish. About 70% of calls handled by the Boulder Police and Fire Communication Center are non-emergencies, according to police spokesperson Dionne Waugh.

The system, called ANET (Automated Non-Emergency Triage), is intended to direct callers to the appropriate service. Until the change, callers were prompted to listen to a list of options and dial a number to reach the right place. A demonstration on the city’s website shows the assistant, which identifies itself as “Ashley,” guiding a caller through a report about an abandoned vehicle.

ANET will handle reports including abandoned vehicles, traffic crashes without injuries, animal complaints that pose no public safety threat, cold cases with no suspect present, requests for extra patrols, fireworks complaints, found or lost property, noise complaints, parking complaints and traffic complaints. It will not take 911 calls. Callers who do not want to speak with AI can request a transfer to a human dispatcher.

Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the system will give staff more time to focus on calls involving serious threats of harm and violence, while still providing service for lower-priority calls. Residents can also ask the AI to transfer them to a human dispatcher to file a complaint or give feedback; the department lists 303-441-3333 as its non-emergency number. Calls will be recorded and publicly accessible as before, but Axon will not use data from non-emergency calls to train the assistant, Waugh said.

Boulder Police will begin routing all calls to its non-emergency line to an AI assistant at the end of October 2026, after weeks of phased testing. The assistant will ask callers why they are calling and gather information in English or Spanish. About 70% of calls handled by the Boulder Police and Fire Communication Center are non-emergencies, according to police spokesperson Dionne Waugh.

The system, called ANET (Automated Non-Emergency Triage), is intended to direct callers to the appropriate service. Until the change, callers were prompted to listen to a list of options and dial a number to reach the right place. A demonstration on the city’s website shows the assistant, which identifies itself as “Ashley,” guiding a caller through a report about an abandoned vehicle.

ANET will handle reports including abandoned vehicles, traffic crashes without injuries, animal complaints that pose no public safety threat, cold cases with no suspect present, requests for extra patrols, fireworks complaints, found or lost property, noise complaints, parking complaints and traffic complaints. It will not take 911 calls. Callers who do not want to speak with AI can request a transfer to a human dispatcher.

Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the system will give staff more time to focus on calls involving serious threats of harm and violence, while still providing service for lower-priority calls. Residents can also ask the AI to transfer them to a human dispatcher to file a complaint or give feedback; the department lists 303-441-3333 as its non-emergency number. Calls will be recorded and publicly accessible as before, but Axon will not use data from non-emergency calls to train the assistant, Waugh said.