Text to 911 Now Available

Call when you can, Text when you can’t

Palos Hills Police now have the capability to receive and send text to 9-1-1 messages from cellular phones. Text messaging is one of the primary ways people communicate today. According to Forrester Research, an estimated 6 billion SMS messages are sent every day in the United States or more than 2.2 trillion per year. The 9-1-1 community is constantly striving to meet the evolving needs of the public, and right now that means implementing text to 9-1-1 solutions.

Available May 15, 2018

Text-to-9-1-1 is intended primarily for use in three emergency scenarios:

  1. For an individual who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, or has a speech disability.
  2. For someone who is in a situation where it is not safe to place a voice call to 9-1-1.
  3. A medical emergency that renders the person incapable of speech.

How to use Text-to-9-1-1

  • Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” or “Recipient” field
  • The first text to 9-1-1 should be short, include the location of the emergency and ask for police, fire or ambulance.
  • Push the “Send” button
  • Answer questions and follow instructions from the 9-1-1 call taker.
  • Text in simple words – NO abbreviations or slang.
  • Keep text messages short.
  • Photos & videos cannot be sent at this time.

Please remember that texting should only be used when you are unable to make a voice call to 9-1-1.

Don’t text and drive!

 

Download the PDF version of this announcement

Permanent link to this article: https://www.paloshillspolice.us/texting-to-911/