Shasta County launches SPIDR Tech: New tool enhancing law enforcement communication, transparency
by Adam Robinson
[From L to R] The badges and logos for the City of Anderson Police Department, Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Redding Police Department in Northern California. (Courtesy: Cities of Anderson and Redding police departments, Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, KRCR Edit)
SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. —
A new customer service digital engagement tool is set to be released in Shasta County on Tues., Sept. 26, to reportedly keep victims of crime, reporting parties, and 911 callers informed when they request law enforcement and services.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), along with the City of Anderson (APD) and City of Redding (RPD) police departments, say “SPIDR Tech” is a fully-automated system that provides callers pertinent information and updates about their case or incident by text message.
According to Versaterm Public Safety Company, SPIDR Tech was founded by former law enforcement officers to help law enforcement agencies leverage their down data to improve public perception and increase efficiency by providing customer service. The company says the tool is “the world’s first comprehensive, customer service infrastructure for law enforcement with the goal of improving communication and transparency between agencies and their communities.”
SCSO says at the conclusion of an event or investigation, SPIDR Tech reportedly collects feedback about a caller’s experience with the involved agency through mobile-friendly surveys comprised of questions that can be utilized to measure community trust and satisfaction. According to local law agencies, the new tool will give them the opportunity to gauge performance and gather valuable feedback from the community.
Officials say callers can expect to receive a text message after contacting the appropriate agency acknowledging their call. They say certain in-progress incidents, or case-sensitive incidents, will be excluded from these notifications to protect the caller’s safety.
Although the new system seems to have several advantages in terms of improving communications and transparency, there are also potential concerns. Concerns such as privacy, as well as data security, accessibility and potential for misuse have been raised. However, such concerns have yet to be addressed by participating law enforcement agencies.
To report errors or issues with this article please email the editorial team.
Load more…
