Officers were dispatched to a call reporting a man in the parking lot of a convenience store acting erratically and waving a gun. At first glance, the call appeared to be a high-priority threat to public safety. However, the dispatcher noticed something unusual: no other witnesses had reported the same behavior, and the phone’s location data showed it was coming from a wooded area just off the side of the store, rather than the parking lot.

Relying on instinct and training, the dispatcher turned to ForceMetrics Velocity™ to quickly run the phone number through historical call data. Within moments, Velocity surfaced a critical piece of information: earlier that same day, a call had been made from the very same number, in which the caller expressed an intent to commit “suicide by cop.”

With this intelligence, the dispatcher immediately alerted the officers who were already around the corner and closing in. Instead of rushing into what could have been a deadly trap, the officers modified their tactics, prepared for the possibility of an ambush, and advanced with heightened situational awareness.

Sure enough, the subject was concealed in the bushes near the store, seemingly waiting for officers to arrive. He emerged suddenly, charging at them with his hands in his pockets. Thanks to the dispatcher’s warning and the rapid insights from ForceMetrics Velocity™, the officers were prepared. They safely took the individual into custody, thus preventing a potential tragedy for both the officers and the subject.

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Result & Impact

With real-time insights from ForceMetrics Velocity, officers avoided a potential ambush and safely took a suicidal subject into custody. The technology turned raw data into life-saving intelligence, protecting both officers and the community.