"Our 911 operations are a critical component of our police response," Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez said. "When someone calls and says a loved one is not breathing or that they need help now, that information has to move as fast as possible."
The new system, known as Prepared 911, is a public safety communications platform designed to send emergency call audio and data directly to responding officers in real time. It has already received necessary approvals, is now in the final stages of implementation and is expected to go live by the third week of February, Rodriguez said.
The rollout follows several years of planning and state-funded upgrades to Laredo's 911 infrastructure, including new dispatch technology and cybersecurity protections approved by City Council in 2024 and 2025.
Under the department's current model, dispatchers receive emergency calls, type out details while speaking with callers and relay information to officers over radio channels — a process that can slow responses during high-call-volume periods.
"We want officers to get that information firsthand," Rodriguez said. "That was one of the needs we identified, and we started looking at how to speed it up. We can't expect dispatchers to type 1,000 words per minute."
With the new system, 911 calls involving police responses will be routed directly to the officer assigned to the area where the call originates.
"The dispatcher won't even have to dispatch them anymore," Rodriguez said. "The officer will know where that 911 call is coming from and be listening to what's occurring in real time."
Rodriguez said the change is expected to improve response times and officer safety by giving officers immediate awareness of critical details before they arrive on scene.
"Now the officer will be aware if there is a gun involved or something similar," he said. "They need to make sure they're prepared before they get there."
Even with the new system, dispatchers will continue answering 911 calls and coordinating fire and medical responses, but the system is designed to reduce reliance on radio traffic and typed summaries for police calls.
As the regional administrator for 911 services in South Texas , Laredo has played a central role in rolling out next-generation emergency communications across Webb County and surrounding counties, positioning the city to adopt new call-handling technology sooner than many jurisdictions.
In addition to emergency calls, the new system will change how residents interact with police for non-emergency situations. Callers reporting incidents such as delayed thefts or non-active cases will be guided through automated prompts to determine whether an officer needs to be dispatched immediately.
If no suspect is present, callers will have the option to file reports online through a secure platform sent via text message, rather than waiting for an officer to respond in person — a process that can take up to two hours.
Rodriguez said the department plans to educate the public ahead of the rollout of what he described as one of the most significant operational changes the department is preparing to implement in 2026.
"It's very awesome technology," he said. "We want to make sure we implement technology that helps the public, but also very importantly, helps the officer."
© 2026 the Laredo Morning Times (Laredo, Texas). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
