At a recent news conference held at the University of Minnesota Public Safety Emergency Communications Center, Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) personnel announced a new statewide Text-to-911 service.
After three years of diligent work with various stakeholders, the Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Communication Networks (DPS-ECN) division has announced the statewide availability of Text-to-911, but warns “Texting should ONLY be used when individuals are unable to make a voice call.” Those situations may include: the reporting party cannot speak while a crime is in progress, they must remain quiet to stay safe, speaking may cause harm, such as in a home invasion, domestic violence or human trafficking situation, the reporting party encounters a suicidal or agitated person, peer pressure is strong, the reporting party is deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or has a speech impairment.
The new service became available throughout the state on Tuesday, December 5th, with the motto, “Call if you can, text if you can’t.” Text-to-911 is an alternative option to calling in an emergency.
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