Boulder, Colorado, plans to put an AI voice assistant on the non-emergency line of its Police and Fire Communications Center (BPFC). The city calls it ANET, short for Automated Non-Emergency Triage.
What’s new
- An AI assistant will answer the non-emergency number, 303-441-3333, in English and Spanish.
- A soft launch begins at the end of October 2026, in limited windows of a few hours at a time, several times a week.
- ANET calls are transcribed and summarized for staff review.
What stays the same or isn’t confirmed
- A trained dispatcher still answers 911. ANET does not.
- Callers can ask for a dispatcher at any time.
- No full-time start date, cost, or results have been published.
- The city page doesn’t name a vendor.
What Boulder is launching
The city’s ANET page says the assistant holds a conversation, collects details, and then answers the question, creates a request for staff review, texts a link, or transfers the caller to a dispatcher. GovTech, reprinting a Daily Camera report by Abigail Ankeney on October 7, 2026, calls ANET an Axon AI assistant. During the soft launch, callers may reach either ANET or a live call taker depending on when they call.
The city lists routine matters for it: abandoned or long-parked vehicles, parking and traffic complaints, noise complaints that are not safety concerns, lost and found property and animals, crashes with no injuries, and cold reports where the suspect is no longer on scene. It also covers extra patrol requests and fireworks complaints. The city says ANET transfers immediately if it detects an emergency, and dispatchers can watch the live conversation and join in.
Recording and data
Calls to the line are recorded, as with all BPFC calls. ANET calls are also transcribed and summarized for staff review. GovTech reports that a police spokesperson, Dionne Waugh, said Axon will not use non-emergency call data to train the assistant.
Why It Matters to You
- If you call Boulder’s non-emergency line, you may reach an AI assistant for routine matters like parking complaints or lost property, depending on when you call.
- You can always ask for a dispatcher, and 911 still goes to a person.
- Expect your call to be recorded and, if you reach ANET, transcribed and summarized.
- It’s a limited soft launch from the end of October 2026, not a full-time service yet.
What Colorado Springs reported
Axios Colorado Springs reported on September 24, 2026 that the Colorado Springs Police Department launched a similar Axon assistant, S.A.R.A.H., on its non-emergency line after testing from April. Boulder has not published results. The Colorado Springs figures below are the police department’s and have not been independently checked.
| Item | Boulder (ANET) | Colorado Springs (S.A.R.A.H.) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Soft launch from end of October 2026 | Launched in September 2026 after testing from April |
| Share of calls that are non-emergency | About 70%, per a police spokesperson | About half, per Axios |
| Non-emergency wait | No data yet | Previously over 30 seconds; police say now nearly zero |
| Annual cost | Not published | $170,000, per Axios |
The 70% figure is a spokesperson’s statement about BPFC call mix. It shows the size of the routine workload, not time saved. Any claim that ANET speeds help for real emergencies is a stated goal, not a finding. Colorado Springs reports 911 calls answered in an average of 11 to 13 seconds, with no before-and-after comparison, and its non-emergency wait result is a police statement. Axios names the open questions: whether the tool cuts 911 wait times and how often it misunderstands callers, misses urgent details or transfers people wrongly.
Quick answers
Will an AI answer my 911 call in Boulder? No. The city says the assistant does not answer 911 calls. A dispatcher does.
Can I talk to a person instead? Yes. Ask for a dispatcher and ANET will transfer you. Callers who don’t want to talk to an AI can say so.
When does it start? A soft launch begins at the end of October 2026, in limited windows several times a week. The city has not published a full-time date.
Are the calls recorded? Yes. The city says non-emergency calls are recorded, and ANET calls are also transcribed and summarized for staff.
Sources
- City of Boulder: Non-Emergency Line AI Assistant (accessed Oct 13, 2026)
- GovTech: AI Will Answer Non-Emergency Calls in Boulder, Colo. (Oct 7, 2026)
- Axios Colorado Springs: Colorado Springs police AI agent S.A.R.A.H. takes non-emergency calls (Sep 24, 2026)