Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impediment are now able to text 911 in the face of an emergency, public safety officials said Wednesday.
The new service — Text to 911 — would be invaluable to people who might find themselves in a situation where calling for help could endanger their lives and texting is the only option, police and Cochise County Sheriff’s Officials said.
While public safety officials stressed that calling 911 is always the preferred method, they welcomed that dispatch communications centers are now able to accept calls for help via text.
Dispatchers at Southeastern Arizona Communications, as well as at the Benson, Bisbee, Douglas and Willcox police departments — these agencies have their own emergency dispatch services — are now able to receive Text to 911 calls.