La Crosse County using AI to help with non-emergency calls

“This is Ava. How can I help?” 

That’s part of what you’d hear when calling the non-emergency line for the La Crosse County Public Safety and Communications Center.  

The voice is the public end of a new artificial intelligence system the county uses to handle routine and administrative calls. It went online May 5.

Of the approximately 200,000 calls the county received in 2024, more than 140,000 were for non-emergencies.  

Cory Lynch, the Operations Supervisor for the Public Safety and Communications Center, said they estimate the new system could handle 40-50 percent of the yearly non-emergency calls.  

For example, for a call about a barking dog, or a parking complaint, the AI system relays the information to a dispatcher. That person then sends the appropriate agency to help. A call for an accident report, however, may be completely handled through the system.  

If the system isn’t able to help, it can transfer the call to a staff member. At any time, callers have the option of speaking to a person. 

Reducing the number of non-emergency calls, Lynch said, allows 9-1-1 dispatchers to focus more on emergency calls and radio traffic. 

“It’s not replacing a human being, it’s not cutting our staffing numbers, it’s a tool to make us more efficient, to do our jobs better,” Lynch said.   

He stated that in the ten days the AI system has been online, it’s handled approximately 1,600 calls.  Of those, 149 needed a person to help with an urgent need or emergency. Another 500 calls ended up requesting a person to talk to. 

The AI system is also multilingual. Currently the system can take calls in English, Spanish, and French. Ultimately, it could have the capability of communicating in up to 30 different languages.