Tri-Com Central Dispatch recently launched its Text-to-911 service in the St. Charles community.
While this is a very important service that could save lives, leaders are asking that the service only be used as a last resort, when placing a 911 call is not possible due to a speech or hearing impediment or a dangerous situation, such as a home invasion or abduction when a victim could be harmed if they tried to make a call.
Text messages to 911 could face the same challenges as any other text message, though, such as delay or failure; therefore, dispatchers are reminding residents that the feature should only be used in the aforementioned situations.
The best rule to remember is “call if you can, text if you can't.”
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