How PenCom Cut Call Volume and Burnout While Improving Service

Meet Karl Hatton: A Trusted Voice in 911

Karl Hatton is a respected veteran of Washington State’s 911 community with nearly four decades of experience in emergency communications. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the Port Angeles Police Department and oversees operations at PenCom 911 — a regional center handling emergency calls for Clallam County.

Karl’s career spans everything from dispatcher to regional director. He previously led both PenCom and neighboring Jefferson County’s 911 system, and has been deeply involved in regional consolidation efforts and operational reform. When Karl speaks, people in this industry listen.

So when he decided to deploy Aurelian at PenCom, it wasn’t on a whim — it was because he’d seen firsthand how badly the industry needed a better way to manage non-emergency volume, and because he trusted Aurelian’s approach.

“I helped beta test this with MACC 911. I watched it evolve. I waited until it was ready — and then we pulled the trigger.”

The Challenge

PenCom was overwhelmed. Like many centers, they were:

• Struggling to recruit and retain dispatchers
• Handling 2–3x more non-emergency admin calls than 911s
• Dealing with burnout, compassion fatigue, and overtime overload
  
  

At one point, the center was operating with just 9 of 20 positions filled. Karl, who sometimes worked 40-hour shifts at the console on top of his administrative duties, knew something had to change.

The Solution: AI That Understands the Job

Karl deployed Aurelian AI Voice Assistant (nicknamed “Ava”) to triage all non-emergency, business-line calls. After a brief two-week testing and customization phase, Ava went live — immediately reducing the number of calls telecommunicators had to field.

Since launch:

• Ava has handled over 5,000 phone calls
• ~65% of those calls were resolved without reaching dispatch
• The 35% that were transferred back to dispatch resulted in calls for service 70–80% of the time — a high signal-to-noise ratio
• During July 4th, Ava handled 62 fireworks-related calls — reducing peak-time strain on staff during a weekend of brush fires and structure fires
  

“Ava never puts a call on hold, never misses a detail because of radio chatter, and doesn’t get emotionally worn down. That alone makes a massive difference.”

Results: Measurable Impact in Just Weeks 

Time Savings

• ~290+ hours of call time saved in just 2 months
• Dispatchers can now process AI-handled calls in under 2 minutes
• Many calls never reach dispatch at all — they’re resolved instantly
  
  

Morale & Burnout

• Dispatchers no longer field endless non-emergency requests
• Staff are more focused, less fatigued, and better able to handle 911s
• Ava allows public safety professionals to focus on the true emergencies they were trained to handle
  

“We’re trained to handle emergencies — not to answer questions about towing companies and deer in the road.”

Trusted by the Public

• 4:1 positive-to-negative feedback ratio from callers
• Ava handles multiple calls simultaneously and never interrupts
• Even AI skeptics are impressed by its clarity, calmness, and speed
  
  

Why PenCom Trusted Aurelian

• Aurelian’s support team is “insanely responsive” — with changes often implemented same-day
• The rollout took just two weeks, including full customization
• Weekly optimization calls allow PenCom to refine call flows and add rules (like a special July 4th path)
  

“A lot of companies talk about customer service. Aurelian delivers it — I can text someone at 3am and get a response.”

Karl’s Advice to Other Agencies

“If your business line call volume is even close to your 911 volume, this is a no-brainer. Ava isn’t replacing people — it’s giving them space to do what they were trained for. And the service from the Aurelian team is second to none.”

Looking Ahead

Karl expects Ava’s role to grow — potentially answering business-line calls for other agencies in the region. He’s also working with a PhD researcher from the University of Texas to study Ava’s long-term impact using dispatch metrics like:

• Call handling time
• Officer response time
• Transfer rates
• Dispatcher workload

Bottom Line

Karl didn’t adopt Aurelian lightly. In a high-trust industry where change moves slowly and reputation matters, PenCom’s decision sends a powerful signal to other centers exploring AI. Aurelian isn’t hype. It’s working — and it’s making life better for dispatchers and callers alike.

See It in Action

If your center is overwhelmed by non-emergency call volume, you don’t have to wait for a breaking point.

Request a quick demo and see how this works — in real time, with real results.