A.I. Call Taker Will Begin Taking Over Police Nonemergency Phone Lines Next Week

Versaterm’s Case Service software program. That name may sound familiar: Since at least 2015, the Portland Police Bureau has contracted with Versaterm to manage its records. It’s also the same company that manages BOEC’s computer-aided dispatch system. The Oregonian reported in 2019 that Versaterm’s records management system was plagued by glitches and delays.

With the software, an automated voice asks callers to the non-emergency number whether they want to stay on the line for a dispatcher or get transferred to the software.

If they choose the latter, they’re given three options: They can submit information about an incident online, through an app, or verbally over the phone. The virtual officer, named “Cayce,” gathers basic information: date, time and location of the incident and a description of what took place—akin to filling in the blanks of a police report.