The Gwinnett County Police Department rolled out Text to 911 capability June 1, giving residents an alternate way to contact police in emergency situations.

The department emphasizes that the best, fastest, and most reliable method to contact 911 in an emergency is to call and speak to a dispatcher. However, there are times or situations that can make calling 911 difficult. Residents will be able to send a text to 911 if they are unable to call.

Text to 911 is intended primarily for use in three emergency scenarios:

• For an individual who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, or has a speech disability
• For someone who is in a situation where it is not safe to place a voice call to 911
• A medical emergency that renders the person incapable of speech

You must subscribe to your wireless carrier’s text or data plan in order to make or receive text messages. Unlike voice calls to 911, you cannot send a text message to 911 without a service plan. Also, text messaging apps that only support texting with other app users or texting via social media are not required to support text to 911.

For more information about this service, please visit GwinnettPolice.com.