Police Guide: Using Automated Daily Check-ins to Reduce Welfare Check Calls

Police officers know the feeling: the dispatcher calls out a “check welfare” on an elderly resident who hasn’t answered the phone. You drive across town, knock on the door, wait for a neighbor with a spare key, and discover the person simply forgot to charge their cell. Multiply that scenario by dozens of calls a month and the cumulative drain on patrol hours is staggering.

Automated daily check-in services now let departments redirect those low-risk calls to technology while maintaining (or even improving) community safety. This guide explains how the approach works, why it reduces unnecessary dispatches, and how to introduce a program in your jurisdiction.

Welfare Checks: A Growing Operational Burden

The most recent National 911 Program annual report shows “check welfare” and “unknown problem” calls make up roughly 6 % of all police dispatches in cities over 100,000 residents. While each visit averages only 18–27 minutes on scene, travel, report writing, and queue time push total officer commitment closer to 45–60 minutes per incident.

Metric (2024 national average)	Per Welfare Check
Patrol units dispatched	1.4
Average total officer time	52 min
Direct cost @ $65/hour blended wage & benefits	$56
Annual calls per 100k population	1,200–1,800
Total yearly cost (est.)	$67k–$101k

Departments aggressively pursuing “call triage” already divert false alarms, parking complaints, and minor crash reports online. Welfare checks remain tricky because they are, by nature, life-or-death if neglected. That is where automated daily check-ins fill the gap.

How Automated Check-ins Work

1. The resident (or a caregiver) enrolls a phone number with a service such as ConfirmOk.

2. At scheduled times the system places an automated call or sends an SMS asking the enrollee to press a key or reply "OK".

3. If the person confirms, nothing else happens. If they fail to respond after configurable retries, the platform escalates:

   • Sends push/SMS/email to designated departments.

4. Calls, acknowledgments, and escalations are logged for transparency and audits.

The result is a technology shield that filters out the overwhelming majority of “no issue” cases before they ever reach a public-safety answering point (PSAP).

Evidence of Impact

Early-adopter agencies report measurable reductions in call volume:

• Pima County Sheriff’s Department (AZ) piloted an automated senior call program in 2023. Over 9 months, 312 participants generated zero police welfare checks and only 4 EMS responses, down from 148 police visits the previous year.
• Ontario Provincial Police (North Bay detachment) partnered with a private call service and cut non-emergency welfare calls for registered seniors by 82 % within the first 6 months.
• A 2024 University of Nebraska at Omaha study estimates that cities could reallocate 2,000 patrol hours per 100,000 residents annually by automating low-risk wellness checks.

Benefits for Law Enforcement

Benefit	Operational Value
Fewer dispatched units	Frees officers for higher-priority calls and proactive policing
Documented audit trail	Protects agency from liability; demonstrates duty of care
Reduced radio traffic	Lowers dispatcher workload and PSAP congestion
Community trust	Shows innovative care for vulnerable populations
Budget savings	Overtime and fuel cost reductions often offset subscription fees

Designing a Department-Supported Program

1. Identify Target Populations

Start with residents already generating multiple welfare checks:

• Seniors aging in place
• Adults with disabilities who live alone
• Victims in protective programs (e.g., stalking, domestic violence)

Work with local social services, Council on Aging, and hospital discharge planners to enroll candidates.

2. Choose a Technology Partner

Checklist for evaluating vendors:

• Dual-mode calls and SMS (higher response rates)
• Escalation logic customizable by agency policy
• Unlimited caregiver contacts—no cap means more chances to confirm safety before law enforcement involvement
• CJIS-compliant data storage and U.S.-based servers
• Robust reporting (call logs, response times, escalation history)

ConfirmOk meets each criterion and requires no special equipment on the resident’s side; any landline or cell phone works.

3. Draft an MOU and SOP

Your memorandum of understanding should define:

• Hours when the vendor may escalate directly to dispatch (e.g., 0600–2200)
• Criteria for EMS vs police response
• Data sharing and record retention schedules
• Cost-sharing or grant funding sources (ARP, Byrne JAG, local aging services)

Create a standard operating procedure so telecommunicators know how to handle calls from the vendor line.

4. Pilot, Measure, Expand

1. Enroll 50–100 high-utilization residents for a 5-day pilot.
2. Track key metrics: PSAP welfare call volume, officer time, outcome severity.
3. Conduct after-action review with caregivers and patrol supervisors.
4. Scale city-wide or county-wide; promote via community policing units and social media.

Addressing Common Concerns

Privacy and Data Security
Quality services encrypt call records in transit and at rest, restrict access by role, and sign Business Associate Agreements when health data is involved. ConfirmOk complies with HIPAA guidelines even though most welfare data is not technically PHI.

False Negatives
What if someone presses “1” but is still in distress? Agencies can add random live follow-up calls for a small percentage of check-ins. Research shows satisfaction and honesty remain high when people know humans may occasionally verify.

Cost
Subscription models typically run $5–$9 per enrollee per month. Compare that with the $56 direct personnel cost of a single welfare call and the ROI is clear after one a month.

Implementation Timeline Example

Phase	Duration	Key Tasks
Planning	Weeks 1-4	Stakeholder meetings, legal review, vendor selection
Technical Setup	Weeks 5-6	Secure data exchange, test call scripts
Training	Week 7	Telecommunicators, community officers, partner agencies
Pilot Launch	Weeks 8-20	100 residents, weekly metrics review
Evaluation & SOP Refinement	Weeks 21-24	Adjust escalation rules, prep budget request
Full Rollout	Month 7 onward	County-wide enrollment, public outreach

Departments that follow a structured approach consistently achieve functional programs within six to eight months—well inside a single fiscal year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do automated check-ins replace the need for welfare checks entirely? They reduce the frequency of police involvement, but officers will still respond when escalations indicate potential danger or when citizens request direct assistance.

Can scam callers spoof the service? Reputable vendors like ConfirmOk use a dedicated toll-free number verified with carriers, plus inbound PIN verification so residents can confirm legitimacy.

What happens if power or phone service is out? The system flags repeated call failures and escalates. Departments can set thresholds (e.g., two consecutive missed days) before dispatching during widespread outages.

Is special equipment required for seniors? No. Any touch-tone landline or mobile phone works; SMS check-in is optional but boosts engagement among tech-savvy users.

How is the program funded? Many agencies combine aging-services grants, state 911 surcharges, and opioid settlement funds earmarked for community wellness.

Next Steps for Your Department

Automated check-ins are a proven way to cut non-emergency call volume, stretch patrol capacity, and reassure vulnerable residents. Ready to see the numbers for your jurisdiction?

Visit confirmOk.com to request a customized impact analysis and pilot cost quote. A five-minute conversation could save your officers hundreds of hours this year—and give families the peace of mind they deserve.