Denton County Now Has Text-to-911 Service

Denton county is one of the first agencies in the nation with the ability to receive callback and approximate location information for cell phone callers.

911

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On Monday, DenCo Area 9-1-1 District became one of the first agencies in the nation with the ability to receive callback and approximate location information for cell phone callers, according to the county’s website.

The new text to 911 service is available for residents of Denton County and the city of Carrollton.

The new service is expected to help callers who have hearing or speech impairments and rely on others or Telecommunications Device for the Deaf services when making calls for help. 

“There’s no question in our mind that lives will be saved with this new service,” Greg Ballentine, deputy executive director for DenCo Area 9-1-1 District told the Denton Record Chronicle.

Although there may be a rare situation where other callers might use text — a home-invasion victim, for example, who needs to make a silent call for help — dispatchers say voice calls are best, according to the DRC. 

This capability greatly increases the chances of locating a caller who is lost or re-contacting a caller in an emergency. 

Tips from DenCo Area 9-1-1:

  • Don’t text and drive.
  • In the first text message send the location and type of emergency.
  • Text in simple words. Send a short text message without abbreviations or slang.
  • Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 911 call taker.
  • Photos and videos cannot be sent to 911 at this time.
  • Text-to-911 cannot include more than one person.
  • Do not send your emergency text to anyone other than 911.
  • Voice calls to 911 are always the best and fastest way get help.

Go here to find out more. 


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