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New Castle – Residents and those passing through Delaware can now text to 911 in an emergency situation. Officials prefer you to call but realizes that some situations don’t allow for that option.
Originally developed for people who are speech or hearing impaired, the Text-to-911 option is applicable in other situations such as domestic violence situations or kidnappings.
In fact before the program was even announced it had its first success. During the testing phase a text message came into the center from someone involved in a domestic situation, according to New Castle County Emergency Communications Chief, Jeff Miller. A nearby officer was dispatched to the location and arrested a male subject within approximately three minutes.
Officials at today’s roll out said when using the Text-to-911 option the initial text should be short, include your location information and ask for police, fire or an ambulance. Do not use abbreviations, photos, slang words, emojis or special characters.
Watch the announcement here
https://livestream.com/StateofDelaware/text911/videos/171094545