Text-to-911 service expands across Indiana

In just a matter of time people living in St. Joseph County will be able to send a text message to 9-1-1 in an emergency.

Right now, 77 counties across Indiana accept texts to 9-1-1, making Indiana one of just a handful of states leading the way with this technology.

Text-to-911 is especially useful for the deaf or hard of hearing and in cases where calling 9-1-1 may be dangerous or impossible.

In Michiana every county with the exception of St. Joseph has implemented the system.

Emergency officials said St. Joseph County is one of 10 “pending counties” in the process of adopting the system.

Just four Indiana counties –Lake, Jasper, Marion, and Ripley have not implemented the system.

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon all carry the service. By June of this year—all carriers will be required to allow users to text-to-911.

Emergency dispatchers stressed that texting 9-1-1 should only be used as a back up to calling. They said calling 9-1-1 is still the best, quickest way for them to respond to an emergency.

To learn more about Text-to-911, and to view a list of counties using the service click here.