Douglas County's Text-to-911: Essential Info and Guidelines

𝐃𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘, 𝐎𝐫𝐞. - Since 2019, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office - 911 Communications Division has had the ability to receive Text-to-911. Text-to-911 is an important service. It is intended to benefit people that may not be able to speak due to an emergency, such as a home invasion or abusive partner. Additionally, individuals that are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may benefit from this technology. A few things you should know about how Text-to-911 works: • Texting to 911 is intended to benefit people that may not be able to speak in an emergency. The key thing to remember is “𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒂𝒏, 𝑻𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒂𝒏’𝒕”. • When texting to 911 for an emergency the first message should be the location of the emergency (including city) and the type of emergency help needed (police, fire, or medical). • Keep text messages brief and concise; using full words. • Stay with your phone, be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 911 dispatcher. • Photos and videos should not be sent to 911 because not all wireless carriers are able to support this feature and it can delay dispatchers in sending help to you. • You cannot include 911 in a group text or while roaming. Some jurisdictions are unable to accept Text-to-911. If you send a text to 911 from a wireless carrier or a city/county without Text-to-911 service, you should receive a message saying that there is no text service to 911 available at this time. Please remember, “𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒂𝒏, 𝑻𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒂𝒏’𝒕”. Via DCSO