More than 80 percent of 911 calls today come from cell phones. Citizens in St. Charles County now have another option to reach 911 during an emergency: by text.
- This service is to be used only when it is not safe or practical to make a 911 call, such as a home invasion or domestic violence incident.
- It can be used by those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability.
Texting 911 has the same results as calling 911, but with added safeguards for texting:
- A citizen text comes in to the 911 system and their approximate location appears for the dispatcher on a computer-based map.
- The dispatcher texts the citizen back to confirm their location and phone number, and asks if it is safe to make a voice call. If the answer is no, the dispatcher will continue to text.
- The dispatcher will keep messages simple and to the point, using simple words and avoiding text lingo or abbreviations. The citizen texting is encouraged to do the same.