In the event of an emergency, you can now text 911 in Dodge County: "Call if you can, text if you can't"
DODGE COUNTY -- The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has announced customers of the four major wireless carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon & T-Mobile), along with US Cellular and Cricket, can now send text messages to 911 in Dodge County. It allows folks to reach emergency responders without ever speaking a word.
You may remember the story involving the domestic violence victim who called for a "pizza delivery" in an effort to get help during an attack. The story prompted a commercial that aired during the 2015 Super Bowl.
Dodge County
Cell phone users in Dodge County can now send text messages to 911. It can help in situations where folks aren't necessarily able to talk on the phone.
When you send a text message to 911, a special sound alerts the dispatcher to that text message.
"It gets them prepared that this is a text, and we need to do things differently," Lt. Christine Churchill with the Dodge County Sheriff's Office said.
Dodge County dispatch
The text conversation pops up on the dispatcher's screen.
"The first thing we always want to prompt them for is an address. We need an address to get you that help," Lt. Churchill said.
Once dispatchers have that address -- a squad is dispatched.
Officials say the more detailed your text, the better.
"If there are weapons involved, if there is alcohol involved, if there is anything actively going on at the time," Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said.
Texting could be the best option for a victim of domestic violence, or during a home invasion.
"They may have the perpetrator near them," Sheriff Schmidt said.
This can also be helpful when it comes to those who are deaf or speech impaired, or for those in areas with poor cell service, where a voice call may not work -- but a text message will.
"The Text-to-911 will come in anywhere that reaches a tower where we are the Public Safety Answering Point," Sheriff Schmidt said.
Text-to-911
There are more than 6,000 PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) in the nation and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is one out of approximately 900 of those centers to voluntarily offer this new service.
Less than 15 percent of emergency communication centers nationwide have the text to 911 feature.
In Wisconsin -- it is only available in Dodge County, Dane County and Rock County. Officials in Manitowoc County are considering it.
Text-to-911 availability
This program is expensive.
It cost Dodge County about $200,000 to replace the aging 911 system to one that's text compatible.
While Text-to-911 is now available, it is not intended to replace a voice call to 911. A voice call to 911 is still the quickest, most efficient way to reach emergency help.
Text
Text-to-911 is intended for:
Wireless customers in Dodge County should keep the following in mind when sending a text to 911:
"Call if you can -- text if you can`t," Sheriff Schmidt said.
The police response will always be quicker with a phone call because typing is time consuming and texting doesn't always paint a clear picture of what's going on.
"So much of what we do is by hearing those sounds, by getting that information, by being able to immediately get the answers," Churchill said.
But when there is no other option, a text message could be a victim's last hope when it comes to getting help.
"That caller may have otherwise been to afraid to call," Churchill said.
As it relates to this new program, Dodge County Sheriff's officials say they have dealt with prank text messages -- which they take very seriously.