DELAWARE LAUNCHES VIDEO UPGRADE TO E911 SERVICES

April 17, 2025 - DOVER, Del. – Governor Matthew Meyer joined Secretary Joshua Bushweller, State 911 Administrator Robert Williams, and Dover Emergency Communications Manager Matthew Carey to demonstrate new upgrades to Delaware’s Enhanced 911 (E911) service – including streaming video and language text translation. The Dover Police Department Communications Center is one of the first in the country to launch the new features. Officials plan for the upgrade to be in all Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) by 2026. Delaware’s system is funded by the E911 Emergency Reporting System Fund, which is supported by a monthly surcharge of up to 60 cents a month on all land-based and wireless phone lines. The launch coincides with last week’s observance of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Governor Meyer said, “We must save lives and protect public safety when seconds count. Delawareans deserve the latest and best technology, and these innovations will save lives."

Callers will be able to stream live video and receive text translation and language support. The 911 operators will now be able to get a firsthand look at an emergency for a better sense of patient status, the size of a fire, the number of vehicles in a car crash, and other critical details about an incident. This information can then be relayed to first responders in real time as they respond to an emergency.

“This project is the result of much hard work on the part of our E 911 Board members, our PSAP managers and their staff, and our State 911 Administrator who oversaw its completion,” said DSHS Secretary Bushweller. “The State Enhanced 911 Board provided funding for the necessary equipment and software upgrades to support these new multimedia capabilities, in cooperation with our vendor Intrado.”

“This new feature is part of the NextGen project funded by the State’s E911 Board. NextGen, short for “next generation,” is an ongoing initiative to provide our 911 centers statewide with upgraded equipment and operating system software to keep pace with changing technology,” said State 911 Administrator Robert Williams. “Our E911 Board remains committed to making certain our 911 system continues to evolve as our citizens’ communications preferences and needs change.”

In addition to Delaware State Police communication centers in each county, there are eight PSAP’s in Delaware.

“We are honored to provide our proven multimedia and text translation technology to enhance public safety operations throughout Delaware,” said John Snapp, VP of Technology at Intrado. “This implementation empowers first responders and 911 operators with industry-leading solutions, strengthening protection for all residents and businesses while driving agile emergency response coordination and improved outcomes.”

ABOUT DELAWARE E911

The mission of Enhanced 911 in Delaware is to protect and enhance public safety and health by facilitating the operation and maintenance of efficient state-of-the-art Enhanced 911 services in the State of Delaware. This includes developing a comprehensive Enhanced 911 State Plan that includes wireless Enhanced 911. The State’s E911 Board also develops standards as well as uniform policies and procedures for all Enhanced 911 Centers, appropriates available funding to implement, maintain, and improve the State Enhanced 911 System, and ensures that all users of the State Enhanced 911 System receive compassionate and professional emergency services from a well- trained and highly skilled work force.

E911 also ensures the compliance of providers with state and federal 911 statutes and regulations and provides information to the citizens of the State of Delaware on the capabilities and proper usage of the Enhanced 911 System.

View Delaware's full press release here.