PINELLAS COUNTY — Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office are now using a new system that changes the way they respond to 911 calls, and the sheriff says it's a game-changer.

"Live 911" livestreams calls directly to the deputy's vehicle so they can now hear every 911 call that comes into their patrol area. The calls are geofenced so deputies only hear the ones coming in from callers in their designated area.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the new software has already exponentially cut down on response times and has increased efficiency.

"What it does is provide cops the ability to respond much more quickly and hear firsthand from the person who's calling. We've had plenty of situations here where lives have been saved because of it," he said.

The deputies being able to hear the dispatcher and caller in real time helps make it so information doesn't get lost in translation.

The calls are geofenced so deputies only hear the ones coming in from callers in their designated area.

The lag time created in the dispatch process has also been reduced. Before, Gualtieri said, the call would have to go through the 911 system and response times could be anywhere from seven to 10 minutes.

Since they started using the program, Gualtieri said his deputies now sometimes show up at emergency calls before they've been formally dispatched.

Last week, Gualtieri met with city police departments in Pinellas County, and he said many of them plan to begin using "Live 911" as well. The sheriff's office will assist in the training and implementation.

The cost of the software is roughly $130,000.