You can now text 911 in case of an emergency in a west Michigan county

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – These in an emergency can now textual content 911 when they’re in Kent county on Michigan’s west aspect.

Kent County Sheriff’s Workplace has launched a take a look at run the place dispatchers can obtain 911 textual content messages. In line with WOOD, an NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, the west Michigan dispatches have acquired a mean of six texts each day, and that quantity is rising.

Police advised WOOD that this service is useful for these which might be deaf, arduous of listening to, or these which might be too afraid to make a 911 telephone name. This service can also be inspired for these whose major language just isn’t English. With the 911 texts, these emergencies can translate about 130 languages into English.

“You merely open up your textual content message utility, whichever one you favor, and also you kind 911 into the to area identical to you’d dial after which kind your message,” Kent County Sheriff Workplace Communications Heart Assistant Supervisor Jennifer Robinson advised WOOD. “We’ve actually seen type of the usual texts from individuals who aren’t in a position to make telephone calls to us in addition to we’ve began seeing some alarms by way of textual content message as a substitute of a telephone name, which has been helpful as effectively.”

Officers ask that, when you can, to name 911 earlier than sending dispatchers a textual content. In addition they ask that you simply make sure that to incorporate your location first, particularly as they anticipate a rise in emergency textual content messages.

To this point, this initiative has been profitable.

On Christmas morning, a 49-year-old girl in Lowell Township texted 911 and was in a position to keep in continuous contact with deputies by way of textual content message.

“She had alleged that she was assaulted and (was) additionally threatened that if she referred to as and talked to anybody that she could possibly be harmed,” Kent County Sheriff’s Workplace Sgt. Eric Brunner advised WOOD. “She was in a position to take away herself to a bed room and was in a position to work together with our dispatch employees, who stayed in continuous contact by way of textual content message till our deputies had been in a position to arrive on the home. She allow them to in, and so they had been in a position to assist resolve the state of affairs.”