For some of us “seasoned” telecommunicators, just the thought of more technology, gadgets and related policies in the comm center can cause a bit of heartburn. But on Friday, July 12, the high-tech capabilities of South Sound 9-1-1 in Pierce County, Wash., proved to be truly magical.

The equation: A few calltakers, a handful of dispatchers and a couple of real-time crime information analysts plus a news helicopter equals the stuff movies are made of (or, perhaps, a reality TV show).

Deputies and officers from two agencies were en route to perform a security check on a vacant property—normal teamwork in our county. The deputy arrived and reported several men and a dog inside the residence.

“Shots fired!”

A vehicle pulled away from the residence and attempted to hit the responding deputy’s patrol vehicle with the intent to flee.

The deputy fired on the suspect driver and a pursuit ensued. The deputy had not even confronted the situation at the residence yet.

In the comm center, dispatchers worked to assist the pursuing deputy, get additional resources, notify hospitals for a possible wounded suspect and notify boarder jurisdictions for officer safety.

Communications officers took incoming calls about reckless vehicles and suspicious people seen—in addition to all of the constant “normal business” that goes on in a large 9-1-1 PSAP.

LARIAT (LESA Accelerated Response Using Integrated Analysis and Technology) real-time crime information analysts worked to quickly gather additional information on anything and everything entered into the CAD call: Who owned the suspicious vehicles? What was the suspect’s possible identity? Was there a past history at the residence? And so on.

Enter local news station KIRO TV’s news helicopter, which began filming the pursuit and established a live feed to the LARIAT real-time crime center. The LARIAT analysts utilized their bank of monitors to display the live feed for all employees on the comm floor to view. Now, we could see the house that the deputies and officers were targeting when the suspect fled.

Information continued to pour in while the foot pursuit and search unfolded. Then, magic happened.

“He’s by the blue house… near the greenhouse area…”

It was on our screens. We could actually see the suspect in the underbrush as the officers approached. He was in custody in an instant.

Cheers and clapping were heard all around the PSAP.

We never get to see this. We sit behind our screens, linked to headsets with only audio feedback on events taking place out in the field. But this, this was real. This suspect decided that on this day he would try to hurt one of our guys, but no one was injured or placed at further risk thanks to a coordinated and high-tech response.

Now, that’s magic!

Barb Matson is a Communications Supervisor for South Sound 911 in Tacoma, Wash.