Union County has new 911 service for non-life-threatening calls

Union County 911 callers have become the first in the nation to use the new CueHit service for smartphones.

The new service provides new opportunities for the dispatch center to communicate with callers while allowing first responders to focus on emergencies.

With CueHit, 911 callers report non life-threatening incidents such as vandalism, animal nuisances, motor vehicle lock-outs or discovery of a theft or break-in where the perpetrator is no longer present.

Then the caller will receive a follow-up text message from dispatch that provides an estimated time of arrival for the first responders. The text also provides instructions on what to do until responders arrive.

Union County Public Safety Director Andrew Moran said one of the co-founders of the company reached out to the Union County Regional Dispatch Center and asked if the county wanted to pilot program. Moran said the county saw this as opportunity to improve their communication and feedback from the public. So the county agreed to it and became the company's first customer.

Caller will receive a short survey via text message 24 hours later, offering them an opportunity to provide feedback on their experience and offer ways to improve the service.

Moran said the county has received responses from 46% of the surveys, which have been overwhelmingly positive.