Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – The Jonesboro Police Department (JPD) is rolling out a new, temporary addition to its E911 dispatch team this week: an artificial intelligence call taker.

The department posted on Facebook Sept. 1 that for the next two days, it’ll utilize a new Automated Non-Emergency Triage (ANET) system on its non-emergency lines. The brief rollout will serve as both a functional test of the AI technology and a training exercise for human dispatchers.

The AI system is named “Lezle,” a tribute to former dispatcher Lezle Wilson, who passed away in 2023.

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When residents dial the non-emergency line during this timeframe, Lezle will answer and immediately ask for the caller’s name and phone number. Police advise residents not to hang up.

The AI will then ask a series of questions to evaluate the situation and determine the next best steps:

JPD said depending on the caller’s needs, the system is capable of:

  • Transferring callers to other appropriate departments or agencies within the city or Craighead County
  • Texting callers relevant information, including direct links to websites or online forms
  • Collecting standard information for non-emergency situations and entering the call into the system so an officer can be dispatched

The department stressed that live dispatchers will be monitoring the system at all times in case anything goes wrong.

If Lezle determines during the questioning process that a call requires immediate attention, it will automatically route the caller to a human dispatcher. Additionally, if human dispatchers notice the AI is not processing a call correctly, they have the ability to force a transfer and take over the call instantly.

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