July 16, 2024 3:20 a.m. 

Since 2019, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office-911 Division has had the ability to Text-to-911.

Lieutenant Brad O’Dell said Text-to-911 is an important service. O’Dell said 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

O’Dell said a few things residents 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 such as police, fire or medical

*Keep text messages brief, using full words

*Stay with the phone, be prepared to answer questions 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.

*911 can’t be included in a group text or while roaming

Some jurisdictions are unable to accept Text-to-911. Those who sent a text to 911 from a wireless carrier or a city/county without Text-to-911 service, should receive a message saying there is no text to 911 available at this time.