Mobile 911 Dispatch Center Provides Hands-On Experience for Fresno County High School Students

High schools across Fresno County are welcoming a criminal justice program addition: police dispatch. With artificial intelligence (AI) simulations, students are engaging in hands-on learning inside the new mobile classroom. 

Inside a trailer at Matilda Torres High School, criminal justice students are stepping into one of the most high-pressure roles in the world of public safety.

The county’s new mobile dispatch center uses AI simulations to recreate real-life 9-1-1 calls.

“Anytime the educational system brings in some real-life experiences, it really helps the students engage with what is needed to have an understanding of what it’s like in the real world,” Simon Palacios said. He runs the criminal justice program at Matilda Torres.

The students pick up the incoming call, talk with the AI through the scenario, and as soon as the phone call is over, they receive a score based on how well they approached the situation.

“The most intense scenario was an individual whose brother had been stabbed, and she wanted to try to help him,” said senior Noah Cosentino. “And then as I’m talking to her, I hear gunshots in the background, and I ask her about it, and she’s like oh people are running, she’s like screaming about it.”

Moments like that are meant to test students’ ability to stay calm under pressure, something educators say is critical as dispatch centers are facing shortages across the nation.

“There’s just hundreds, if not thousands, of dispatching opportunities across the United States,” Palacios said.

The mobile dispatch center will travel to schools across Fresno County throughout this year. Organizers say the goal is to give students early exposure while helping address a growing demand.