The Project Oversite Committee approved the purchase of a new countywide enhanced 911 system in 2018 to enhance dispatch centers ability to receive non-traditional 911 calls (text to 911, telematics, video), now and in the future. The new system uses internet protocol (IP) technology to deliver 911 calls to the various dispatch centers throughout the county. This means dispatch centers will be able to accept text to 911 calls in the near future. It also means that in the event of a disaster, manmade, or naturally occurring, dispatchers from one dispatch center will be able to log into any of the dispatch centers in the county and take 911 calls from their geographic area. For example, a dispatcher from the City of Saline could go to Milan and log into their 911 computer and receive calls from the City of Saline. A backup dispatch center, open to all jurisdictions, is also available at the Washtenaw County Emergency Operations Center.
As of December 2019, the Cities of Saline, Milan, and Chelsea are up and running on the new 911 system. Eastern Michigan University dispatch center will be upgraded to the new 911 equipment in January of 2020. The largest dispatch center in the County, Metro Dispatch, is scheduled to go live in February 2020. The University of Michigan will be upgraded sometime in the Spring of 2020.