LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Starting Wednesday, a Michigan State Police pilot program will send text message updates to residents of four counties who have made an emergency call.
The pilot program will service emergency callers in Eaton, Branch, Calhoun and St. Joseph counties, and will be directed from MSP’s Lansing and Marshall posts.
It is the first such technology used by any state police agency in the United States, MSP said in a press release on Tuesday.
“By using automatic text message notifications and satisfaction surveys, we’ll be able to not only provide better customer service, but also make adjustments based on direct customer feedback,” said Joe Gasper, director of the Michigan State Police.
If any person in Eaton, Branch, Calhoun or St. Joseph counties calls 911 from a mobile device and a trooper is dispatched, they will get a text message telling them a trooper is on the way. If the trooper is delayed, the caller will get real-time text updates.
MSP will not utilize the message technology for some types of calls, including those with sensitive safety matters.
Within 24 hours of the emergency incident, callers will get a text message inviting them to take a satisfaction survey, the results of which MSP will use to analyze and evaluate the quality of the response to the call.
MSP plans to reevaluate the program after the first 90 days, after which the agency will decide whether to utilize the technology at all MSP posts.
