AI answers non-emergency police calls to help 911 operators in Mississauga, Brampton

Police in Mississauga and Brampton are putting artificial intelligence to work in an effort to help 911 operators focus more directly on emergency and other high-priority calls where lives might be in danger.

Peel Regional Police said an AI-powered voice assistant is now active — as of yesterday — and answering calls from the public to the non-emergency police line, which receives some 300,000 calls each year.

“The new technology will improve call navigation for callers with enhanced information, services and reporting options, allowing communications operators to focus on emergency and high-priority calls,” police said in a news release on Thursday.

In explaining how the new system works, police said the AI voice assistant, through a brief question-and-answer process, will quickly identify a caller’s needs and then provide information, direct callers to online reporting or community resources, or transfer them to a 911 communications operator or a non-emergency call taker.

“Callers can request a human operator at any time,” police noted, adding, “if the voice assistant detects an emergency, cannot assist the caller or does not understand the request, the call is immediately transferred to a live operator.”

Peel police Deputy Chief Anthony Odoardi told INsauga.com in a phone interview on Thursday the new AI call-taking system is constantly being monitored by staff, so “there’s a human in the loop at all times.”

He added police want to deal appropriately and efficiently with all calls — both emergency and non-emergency.

All 911 calls, meanwhile, will continue to be answered by trained communications operators under the new system.

Developed in collaboration with Hyper, a Motorola Solutions company, the new system aligns with Peel Regional Police’s existing call-recording practices, police said.

Building on a partnership established in 2024, Peel police and Hyper “co-developed the AI solution, which has since been adopted by other jurisdictions. By helping manage routine inquiries, the technology improves access to information and services while preserving operator capacity for emergencies.”

Odoardi said in the news release the force’s “approach to technology implementation is simple: high-tech must lead to high-touch. This technology enhances our ability to connect 911 callers with human call takers when it matters most, while providing an increased level of response and service to those who call the non-emergency line.”

Police remind residents to call 911 for emergencies only and 905-453-3311 for non-emergencies.

Peel police said their latest initiative builds on their “longstanding leadership in modernizing public safety communications.”

They noted that in February 2024 Peel police became the first large 911 communications centre in Canada to implement Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology, “setting a national benchmark for emergency communications and advancing how emergency calls are received, processed and managed.”

Since implementing Next Generation 911, Peel police say they have reduced 911 wait times by 78 per cent, with the average call answered in 13 seconds.