Grant Funds 1st Year of Falls Police Community Engagement Program

Falls Township Police will be rolling out a new program that keeps 911 callers up to date on the status of their call via text message updates.

During Tuesday’s Falls Township Board of Supervisors’ work session, the governing body approved an agreement between Versaterm Public Safety US, Inc. and the Falls Twp. Police to implement an automated victim notification system to provide support for those impacted by or involved in the criminal justice process.

Through a grant from the Pennsylvania Community and Economic Assistance Program, the first year of the community engagement program will be fully funded. The funding covers all aspects of the project, including deployment, training, software integration and support services. There is no cost of participation for Falls Township.

Police Chief Nelson Whitney, II said he was “proud that we will be the first community in our area to get this amazing program.”

“The Community Connect program is an enhanced 911 program that will increase our engagement with citizens who call 911 for the police in Falls Township,” Whitney said.

“It can send automated text messages to citizens and keep them informed of our response to their calls for service.”

According to Versaterm, the software, which is available in all 50 states and Canada, sends more than 1 million monthly notifications to community members.

Versaterm’s software integrates with the police department’s computer-aided dispatch, records management system and case management system to automate 911 caller and crime victim updates.

“To help agencies avoid any communication gaps and potential delays, SPIDR Tech will send automatic notifications every time there is a change in the victim’s case,” the company said in its informational brochure. “Our platform helps integrate, automate, streamline agency communications and focus on victim care. Victims will feel empowered and informed due to having the autonomy on how they want their notifications (text, email, portal), whether they want to receive them and providing their feedback via customizable surveys.”

The system is also able to provide language translations.