Five months after launching text-to-911 service at the Southwest Regional Communications Center, serving Cedar Hill, DeSoto and Duncanville, and officials continue to spread the word that it is available.
The center's Interim Director Tamara Bell said it's part of Next Generation 911 — also called NG911.
"With the evolving of all the technology — and we have a lot of millennials that always text, they're texting, texting, texting — some actually don't have a phone, a land line, and so they text all the time," she said. "So we have to be able to support our citizens and keep up with the times, as well."
Since October, only a handful of 911 text messages have been received, many by accident.
"We have another call here where the texter actually didn't realize you can make a text call to 911," Bell said. "When the dispatcher asked 'What is the location of your emergency?' they came back and said, 'Oh, I'm sorry I was trying put something in my contacts and sent the message by mistake.'"
Bell says the service is ideal for situations where talking on the phone would potentially put a caller in danger.
"In the event someone is breaking into your house and you can't speak because you're hiding, you can actually use your cell phone to make a text call to 911 and the 911 dispatcher will respond," Bell said.
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It's also important to note this service is helpful to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, dispatchers urge you still to call 911, instead of texting, if you are able.
"This won't replace telephone 911 at all," Bell said. "We actually urge you to text if you can't, call if you can. So if you can make the 911 call, we would rather you actually make the call, if you just cannot and it's going to put you in danger, then text us.'
