iPhones will soon be able to stream live video on 911 calls | Hacker News Reader

iPhones will soon be able to stream live video on 911 calls

theverge.com

65 pointsthunderbong29 comments

Will this extension be an open standard so that Android users can also benefit? I wouldn't want a scenario where green bubbles have a worse time calling 911.

If you want your mom to be able to call 911, buy her an iPhone!

I'm curious about how this will work on the receiving end - is that part of the infrastructure also provided by Apple or is there a common capability by 911 dispatch software to support incoming video?

I've worked with two 911 computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems (both from Motorola, but varying wildly in quality and provenance) and neither has any such thing. Both don't directly handle phone calls either, however. They have APIs that interface to the phone and radio systems to move traffic between. In the case of the PSAP (a Public Safety Answering Point, aka a 911 call center) I support the caller is being handled by one system that passes the calling number (ANI), static telco-provided geolocation/metadata (ALI), and live GPS geolocation to the CAD system. Aside from these defined interfaces the systems are separate islands and function (and, more importantly, fail) separately.

Edit: Text messages are handled by a third-party with a SIP-based interface (running over a VPN across the Internet) to the phone system. My guess would be this is how video will be brought in. These third parties are already positioned in the telco system to handle this effectively (from a regulatory perspective).

I guess it depends if the guy in the call center has Apple or Android.

I know Rapid SOS works in this space: https://rapidsos.com/

Will this not be quite chaotic for the guys in the callcenter.

Has utility no doubt but Can’t imagine a bunch of livestream like scene are good for their focus and wellbeing

I would imagine it is great for video evidence prior to officers with body-cameras arriving on scene. This footage may be useful in court. I could see utility in this for people calling 911 from under their bed or in a closet when there is an intruder in the house. It's probably also a good way to get a picture of an attacker that flees prior to officers arriving so they have an image rather than the RP's potentially sub-optimal description.

Small towns sometimes have law enforcement officers as dispatchers but I could see your point in big cities where dispatchers are less suited to see violence. On the other hand perhaps this may expedite a response when it's appropriate to do so. seeing it with their own eyes...

Volume up...no hiding. Volume down...no use.

I suspect people could avoid using speaker and/or the dispatcher can figure it out. They know how to handle intruder calls. Dispatch can mute as well.

There are likely many scenarios where the caller is not able to (accurately) describe the scene. The caller might be a child, scared & hiding, or injured.

I feel for the poor dispatchers who'll have to deal with bickering idiots on video discussing domestic/civil disputes.

I support a PSAP (a Public Safety Answering Point, aka a 911 call center). There's no way I could do the work the telecommunicators do. No way. Between the bullshit they have to deal with and the horrifying psychologically-damaging calls... No way.

I can see that video would be helpful in some cases. Having listened to a ton of calls during my work, though, I think the calls where video would make a difference versus a distraction will be few.

I'm interested in the receiving infrastructure. All of the video will need to be recorded (at least in my state) and retained for an established period of time (90 days here). The PSAP networks are already a twisty maze of VLANs and firewalls (in my PSAP each workstation has multiple PCs plugged-in to different networks with different network and PC security policies).

How much bullshit is there and how often are there consequences for this?

I don’t often read about anyone actually being fined for wrong, unnecessary or petty emergency calls

Local news the other day: a couple in their 60s forgot where they placed their parking ticket and called police which then came by and ordered the attendant to let them drive out for free. No consequences

Did they call the police or 911? There is a big difference between the two.

It also varies wildly in different jurisdictions. My local police department's "main line" advises calling 911 even for non-emergency calls. I wanted to make a noise compliant one night but chickened-out because I didn't think it was appropriate to call 911 for that.

It’s wild someone would call the police for this but it’s also wild that this would be in the news. Couple Freed From Car Park By Police After Losing Ticket.

I don't have a statistic for number of bullshit calls in our PSAP. I'd say "a lot" in terms of number of calls from the time I've spent in the dispatch room overhearing calls while working issues. In terms of time spent on the phone it's probably not significant. Most of the bogus calls I've heard end fairly quickly. The telecommunicators are, presumably, trained to get those people off the phone fast.

My sense is the staff here don't involve law enforcement on inappropriate calls unless there's a significant number of repeat calls, the caller is being abusive to the telecommunicator, or the caller confesses to a significant crime during the course of the call. I don't think there are consequences very often but, again, I have no statistics.

There are probably published statistics. I know our PSAP generates stats that get rolled-up into at least regional, if not national, reporting.

That doesn’t sound like a misuse of 911. A parking fee dispute is a civil matter. It doesn’t allow the parking attendant to hold people against their will.

Realistically, the most they are going to do is ban them from parking there in the future.

(This was not in the US)

I would say the people are free to leave but the car stays until they pay and that this is part of how every parking business operates. Otherwise, why pay?

Every parking lot I’ve ever been to clearly states the price for a new ticket when you lose yours. Usually something like the maximum rate for an entire day but it depends. Long term parking at the airport for example might be higher than that

They felt mistreated over their own mistake of forgetting in which pocket they put the ticket. Nothing more

I think getting a recorded, time stamped record will have a lot of value for investigations. Right now, people often have to decide between recording and calling 911.

Yes, maybe the phone can already do both but people are going to have a hard time figuring out how under pressure.

Will they relay through Apple servers and probably only with available traffic or could the feature get free traffic and direct line to the police?

I guess going through Apple servers makes more sense and one will need an available internet connection. But this type of security features are able even to active the internet on the phone if it’s not activated.

The big submission right before this (chronologically) is Switzerland requiring software development for the state to open sourced. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41066984

What a strong contrast. This should so clearly be based on standards and specifications, be open to interoperation for anyone making phones.

That could have even been FaceTime itself. If Apple and Jobs had opened the standards for FaceTime, like they very well promised. We believed them! We thought this company would do the right thing! https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/steve-jobs-promised-to-make...

One time I needed to call 911 and was greeted with the recorded message, "Dear Nine One One customer, your call is important to us." Customer?

Like others in the thread, I'm skeptical of plugging new tech into that network.

I guess this feature is US only ?

TheVerge mentions 911 while the original Apple press release doesn't touch much on the availability part.

Could the video feed be recorded from the 911 side and be admissible in court?

In my state, at least, I believe it would be required to be recorded.

Audio recordings of 911 calls are already admissible, so I don't see why not.

Now we just need to wait for the horror movie that uses this properly

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