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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Coon Rapids Police Explain What Happens When Residents Call 911, Including New AI-Assisted Non-Emergency System
Anoka County's Emergency Communications Center continues to route emergency calls through human public-safety telecommunicators while an AI-assisted system handles certain routine non-emergency calls.
COON RAPIDS, MN (September 1, 2026) Coon Rapids police are reminding residents what happens when they call 911, when they should instead use Anoka County's non-emergency line, and how a newer artificial intelligence-assisted system now fits into the county's emergency communications operation.
The Coon Rapids Police Department said calls to 911 are answered by the Anoka County Emergency Communications Center, where a call taker gathers information about what is happening, where the caller is located and what type of police, fire or medical assistance may be needed.
Emergency calls receive priority in the answering queue, with dispatchers assessing each situation and determining how urgently first responders need to be sent.
Police are also stressing that callers should not hang up if they accidentally dial 911.
Instead, they should remain on the line and explain what happened or what assistance they need. Hanging up can require emergency communications staff to determine whether an actual emergency exists.
Residents who are unsure of their exact location should also still call 911 during an emergency. The Emergency Communications Center can use available location information and other tools to help determine where assistance is needed.
The reminder comes as Anoka County continues using an artificial intelligence-assisted call-taking system for certain non-emergency calls.
Anoka County announced earlier this summer that its Emergency Communications Center had implemented the system, called Eric, to gather information from callers reporting routine non-emergency situations.
County officials said the system is intended to reduce the volume of lower-priority calls handled directly by public-safety telecommunicators, allowing human call takers to remain more available for emergencies.
The AI-assisted system does not replace human dispatchers for 911 calls.
Emergency calls continue to be answered by public-safety telecommunicators.
When Eric receives a non-emergency call that involves circumstances outside the system's scope or a situation requiring more immediate attention, the call is transferred to a human call taker.
Information already collected by the AI system is passed along during the transfer so callers generally do not have to repeat everything they have already reported.
Coon Rapids police offered the example of a suspicious person who is still in the area as the type of situation that would require transfer to a human call taker.
Anoka County has said more than two-thirds of calls handled by its Emergency Communications Center arrive through non-emergency lines, making those calls a significant part of the center's workload.
The county began using the AI-assisted system as part of a broader effort to increase capacity for higher-priority emergency calls.
For situations that do not require an immediate police, fire or medical response, residents should call Anoka County's non-emergency number at 763-427-1212.
Examples include incidents that occurred in the past and no longer pose an immediate threat, reports involving activity that is not currently taking place, and other requests for assistance that do not require an urgent response.
Residents should call 911 when someone's safety is in immediate danger, a crime is occurring at that moment, or an immediate police, fire or medical response is needed.
Police said residents who genuinely are uncertain whether a situation qualifies as an emergency should still call 911.
"When in doubt, call 9-1-1," the department advised. The call will then be evaluated and prioritized according to the circumstances.
Anoka County Emergency Communications has provided public-safety communications services since 1974 and currently handles emergency and non-emergency calls throughout the county.
The center provides dispatch services for Coon Rapids police and other law-enforcement and fire agencies serving communities across Anoka County.
Coon Rapids police said knowing which number to use can help emergency communications personnel get officers and other first responders to the most urgent situations as efficiently as possible.
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