The Penobscot County Regional Communications Center in Bangor, Maine, now runs an AI phone assistant on its non-emergency line. It does not answer 911 calls. The vendor is Amazon Web Services (AWS). The center’s director says it has diverted some calls, though not a large share.
What Penobscot County launched
The Spotlight on America report, carried by KATV on September 21, 2026, says the system gives callers options for non-urgent issues. It can connect a caller to a dispatcher or text a link to file a report online. Director Brad Fitzgerald calls it “a phone tree” that gives people options and prompts.
The center says it has had the highest call volume in Maine for six straight years. Fitzgerald says it handles more than 60,000 911 calls and more than 400,000 non-emergency calls each year. Those are his figures. He says the center began looking for ways to ease staff pressure in 2023. A 2024 Maine Public Utilities Commission study found that only six of the state’s 22 dispatch centers were fully staffed, and called the shortage “critical” in parts of the state. That’s the background to this trial, not a result of it.
Works well, be careful
| Works well | Be careful |
|---|---|
| Runs only on the non-emergency line; a human dispatcher still answers 911. | Nothing here shows AI handling real 911 calls in Penobscot County, and Fitzgerald says “We still have to treat every call as if it could be an emergency.” |
| Gives callers options: connect to a dispatcher or get a texted link to file a report online. | The director describes the effect as modest. No numbers on calls diverted, wait times or staffing effects are published. |
| Agencies elsewhere report big drops in non-emergency or administrative calls (table below). | Those figures come from a federal white paper, not an independent evaluation, and the measurement methods aren’t known. |
| The center will wait to see how the technology develops before expanding its use. | We found no cost figures, so claims about saving a hire or a tax increase are unsupported. |
Results elsewhere
The report cites two other agencies, drawing on a 2025 National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) white paper. The figures below are agency-reported, and we couldn’t find the measurement methods.
| Agency | Reported result | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jeffcom 911 | 33% sustained reduction in administrative calls; at least 5% higher share of 911 calls answered within 15 seconds | NTIA white paper, as reported by KATV |
| Monterey County Emergency Communications District | About 36% average reduction in non-emergency call volume | NTIA white paper, as reported by KATV |
| Penobscot County, ME | Some calls diverted, “not a large share” (director’s description); no figures published | KATV interview |
The NTIA page we opened doesn’t say whether the Jeffcom and Monterey figures are vendor-reported, how they were measured or over what period. It also lists Jeffcom’s non-emergency reduction as “up to 40%,” which differs from the 33% in the news report. And a drop in non-emergency calls doesn’t by itself show faster 911 answers. Only the Jeffcom figure touches 911 answer times, and it’s a small gain.
Why humans stay in the loop
NTIA public safety adviser Jeremy Hill said interest in AI among 911 centers has moved “from a resistance to a curiosity to now, I would even say, a hunger.” He doesn’t expect AI to replace dispatchers: “I don’t see us ever getting away from a human in the loop.” The NTIA paper calls for voluntary national standards on transparency, cybersecurity and human oversight. It names cost, outdated procurement rules and a lack of common standards as barriers that could leave smaller centers behind.
A July 23, 2026 Mission Critical Partners briefing on a NENA conference makes a similar point. It says AI can finish roughly 80 percent of repetitive, data-heavy work quickly, while the remaining 20 percent needs human judgment.
So the verdict on Penobscot County is a modest one: a phone tree on the non-urgent line, with people still handling emergencies, and no published proof yet that it saves much.
Why It Matters to You
If you call Penobscot County’s non-emergency number, you may now hear a menu that can connect you to a dispatcher or text you a link to file a report online, which could spare you a wait for simple matters. A busy line is also a strain on dispatchers, so even a small reduction in routine calls may help the people who answer real emergencies. This is live now, but small in scale, and no results have been published.
Quick answers
What can callers do with it? They can choose menu options, be connected to a dispatcher, or get a texted link to file a report online.
Is it working? The director says it has diverted some calls, though not a large share, and that even a small reduction helps. No data has been published.
What should I do in a real emergency? Call 911. Use the non-emergency number only for matters that aren’t urgent.
Sources
- KATV / Spotlight on America: As 911 centers turn to AI, agencies weigh gains against risks (Sep 21, 2026)
- NTIA: AI-Driven Transformation in 9-1-1 Operations (Nov 17, 2025)
- Mission Critical Partners: NENA Insights, NG911, Public Safety AI, Workforce Wellness Updates (Jul 23, 2026)