Starting Tuesday, September 19, the Medford Police Department will launch new technology that will help us better communicate with the citizens and serve those needing police services.

MPD will launch SPIDR Tech, a digital customer service engagement tool in hopes to make deeper, more meaningful connections surrounding the public's calls for service. SPIDR Tech, a Versaterm Public Safety company, is a fully automated system that provides callers with pertinent information and updates about their case via text message or email. 

“The Medford Police Department is dedicated to providing the best possible service to all we serve and protect,” said Deputy Chief Trevor Arnold. “The implementation of the SPIDR Tech platform improves our services and connections to those who call upon us. It also satisfies an important goal of developing a feedback mechanism to better understand community satisfaction, as listed in MPD’s strategic plan.”

When community members call for police services or assistance, they should expect to receive a text message or email acknowledging their call and providing them updates on the status of the officer’s response. If an officer is delayed, the caller will be updated about the delay. In some cases, delays are caused by higher priority calls necessitating the officers need to prioritize certain calls for service. 

This technology will also be able to provide notifications on the status of a case and will allow for citizens to provide feedback on for both the call taker from Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO) and the MPD officer. 

These automated messages will be sent in both English and Spanish. 

A flow chart providing examples of the automated messages is shown below. 

The Medford Police Department is dedicated to providing the best service possible to its citizens and hopes that technology-facilitated communication will better help us connect with those that we serve.