Washington County residents may have the option to text 911 before the end of the year. Communication centers across the state are upgrading their equipment to allow texts to 911, and in some places it’s already available.
According to Washington County 911 Supervisor, Cara Sorrells, this will be the next upgrade she seeks grant funding for. If grants are awarded, the service will likely be available by December. She explains there have been concerns that they’ll be overwhelmed by texts, but that hasn’t been an issue in places where it has been implemented correctly. Sorrells says the philosophy in those locations has been call if you can, text if you can’t.