GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Brown County residents will soon be able to text their emergency to 911.
On Wednesday, county officials unveiled the initiative which aims to make 911 available to an even larger segment of the community.
“Specifically our deaf and hard of hearing community that is no longer using the older technology like they did in the past,” says Cullen Peltier, Director of Brown County Public Safety Communications. “They are using cell phones to communicate.”
Another area where the ability to text to 911 is in unique situations where a voice call is not possible.
“Whether it’s an active shooter or whether it’s someone in a situation of domestic violence or they’re not able to talk because it’ll give away where they’re at,” Peltier says.
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach says that while this investment is necessary, for greater accuracy and to make it easier to gather information, officials want people to call if you can, but text if you can’t.
“This is an initiative that’s within our 2017 budget,” says Streckenbach. “This is a service we look forward to bring to the community in 2017.”
Officials say training on the new technology will begin next month.
