KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas – Kaufman County and North Texas Central Council of Governments' officials announced the release of a text-to-911 service in Kaufman County on Monday– which is currently limited to Verizon and T-Mobile customers.
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Mobile and handheld device users will now be able to send text messages to 911. Officials say the use of text-to-911 should only be used when making a voice call to 911 is not possible or unsafe.
According to Kaufman County Emergency Management Director Steve Howie, the service will be available to supporting mobile customers throughout the county including the Forney Police Department, the Terrell Police Department, the Kaufman Police Department, and the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office – which handles dispatch operations for the smaller agencies in the county.
AT&T and Sprint have committed to providing a text-to-911 solution by the end of the year which could take several months to implement after its release.
In the event of an emergency, text-to-911 users should provide the location and nature of the emergency in the initial text message – officials suggest avoiding abbreviations and slang while texting 911. Users should expect a text back from the 911 call center or a bounce back message indicating the service is unavailable.
Text-to-911 is also available to these NCTCOG member cities' agencies: Allen Police Department; Bridgeport Police Department; Collin County Sheriff's Office; Decatur Police Department; Ellis County Sheriff's Office; Erath County Sheriff's Office; Frisco Police Department; Hood County Sheriff's Office; McKinney Police Department; Murphy Police Department; Northern Ellis Emergency Dispatch Center; Parker County Sheriff’s Office; Prosper Police Department; Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office; Rockwall Police Department; Sachse Police Department; Seagoville Police Department; Somervell County Sheriff’s Office; Stephenville Police Department; Waxahachie Police Department; Weatherford Police Department; and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Kaufman County Emergency Management Director Steve Howie, the service will be available to supporting mobile customers throughout the county including the Forney Police Department, the Terrell Police Department, the Kaufman Police Department, and the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office – which handles dispatch operations for the smaller agencies in the county.
AT&T and Sprint have committed to providing a text-to-911 solution by the end of the year which could take several months to implement after its release.
In the event of an emergency, text-to-911 users should provide the location and nature of the emergency in the initial text message – officials suggest avoiding abbreviations and slang while texting 911. Users should expect a text back from the 911 call center or a bounce back message indicating the service is unavailable.
Text-to-911 is also available to these NCTCOG member cities' agencies: Allen Police Department; Bridgeport Police Department; Collin County Sheriff's Office; Decatur Police Department; Ellis County Sheriff's Office; Erath County Sheriff's Office; Frisco Police Department; Hood County Sheriff's Office; McKinney Police Department; Murphy Police Department; Northern Ellis Emergency Dispatch Center; Parker County Sheriff’s Office; Prosper Police Department; Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office; Rockwall Police Department; Sachse Police Department; Seagoville Police Department; Somervell County Sheriff’s Office; Stephenville Police Department; Waxahachie Police Department; Weatherford Police Department; and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office.