Macomb County, Michigan, is modernizing its emergency response infrastructure by integrating an artificial intelligence platform designed to audit 911 dispatch calls. The county’s Board of Commissioners recently greenlit a one-year contract with GovWorx to deploy "CommsCoach," a system that utilizes Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) to record and transcribe audio for data-driven insights. This move addresses the overwhelming volume of nearly 440,000 calls received annually, which previously required supervisors to manually track performance across disparate spreadsheets and audio files.

The platform does more than just convert speech to text; it identifies trends and provides structured feedback to assist in the professional development of new hires. By automating the evaluation process, the system allows supervisors—who are often spread thin in high-volume environments—to focus on high-level coaching rather than administrative manual reviews. The goal is to establish clearer performance expectations and consistent feedback loops, ensuring every second of an emergency call is handled with optimal efficiency.

Future enhancements for the system include live language translation to better serve the county’s diverse population. Currently, dispatchers utilize third-party translators for non-English speakers, particularly for common languages like Spanish and Bengali. By implementing native translation capabilities, the county aims to reduce response times and bridge communication gaps during life-critical moments. This implementation serves as a case study for how local governments can leverage specialized tools to enhance public safety services.

Macomb County, Michigan, is modernizing its emergency response infrastructure by integrating an artificial intelligence platform designed to audit 911 dispatch calls. The county’s Board of Commissioners recently greenlit a one-year contract with GovWorx to deploy "CommsCoach," a system that utilizes Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) to record and transcribe audio for data-driven insights. This move addresses the overwhelming volume of nearly 440,000 calls received annually, which previously required supervisors to manually track performance across disparate spreadsheets and audio files.

The platform does more than just convert speech to text; it identifies trends and provides structured feedback to assist in the professional development of new hires. By automating the evaluation process, the system allows supervisors—who are often spread thin in high-volume environments—to focus on high-level coaching rather than administrative manual reviews. The goal is to establish clearer performance expectations and consistent feedback loops, ensuring every second of an emergency call is handled with optimal efficiency.

Future enhancements for the system include live language translation to better serve the county’s diverse population. Currently, dispatchers utilize third-party translators for non-English speakers, particularly for common languages like Spanish and Bengali. By implementing native translation capabilities, the county aims to reduce response times and bridge communication gaps during life-critical moments. This implementation serves as a case study for how local governments can leverage specialized tools to enhance public safety services.