If you call the San Diego County Sheriff's non-emergency line this week, you'll be greeted by an artificial intelligence agent named Hyper — not a human dispatcher.

The Sheriff's Office launched the new AI call-routing system on the weekend of March 7-8, 2026, marking a significant shift in how non-emergency calls are handled across the county.

Hyper is designed to answer the department's roughly 400,000 non-emergency calls per year. When a caller dials the non-emergency number (858-868-3200), the AI greets them and asks a short series of questions to transfer them to the correct sheriff's resource, provide requested information, or connect them with a live dispatcher.

"Hyper's Voice AI system helps get callers the assistance they need faster. It's a practical use of technology that improves outcomes for our community," said Ashish Kakkad, the sheriff's chief information officer. "By automating the routing of non-emergency calls, our trained call takers can focus more of their time on emergency situations that require judgment, empathy and critical thinking."

All 911 emergency calls will continue to be handled directly by trained dispatchers. Hyper will transfer a call immediately if the situation turns out to be an emergency, if the system cannot understand the caller, if a language translation service is needed, or if unusual activity is detected or the request falls outside its standard procedures. All interactions with the system are recorded and transcribed in real time.

The non-emergency number (858-868-3200) is appropriate for requesting information, making a report, or reaching the department when there is no immediate threat to life or property. For any emergency, residents should still dial 911.