I had no idea that law enforcement agencies couldn’t accept text messages to 911, as opposed to calls. Yikes!
Apparently the FCC has taken notice and is updating the outdated system to meet the needs of a growing generation of very text-heavy culture:
The technological limitations of 9-1-1 can have tragic, real-world consequences.
During the 2007 Virginia Tech campus shooting, students and witnesses desperately tried to send texts to 9-1-1 that local dispatchers never received.
If these messages had gone through, first responders may have arrived on the scene faster with firsthand intelligence about the life-threatening situation that was unfolding.
Excellent. I’m glad that they are doing something about it.
Geek for Him says
Wouldn’t it take longer to text 911 with a message that call? I guess its more quiet than the call?