Banning, Beaumont Police Enable 'Text to 911' Feature; Among First in California

A handful of police agencies in California, Banning and Beaumont police among them, debuted a new feature this week that allows them to communicate via text messaging in an emergency.

“Text to 911” was launched at only five departments in Riverside County on Tuesday. Nearby San Bernardino County is also now enabled. The feature is available in some other states already, but these agencies are the first in California to try it out.

Officials say it works just like it sounds: you simply create a text message to 911 to alert police that you are in need.

This will be especially useful should someone find themselves in a scary situation that does not allow them to call, for fear of being heard— as in such a terrible tragedy as the San Bernardino mass shootings. It’ll also open a line of communication for others who may not be able to speak or hear.

“This service is available for use by the deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech impaired, and in situations where it is too dangerous to make a voice call to 9-1-1,” sheriff’s officials said when announcing the new program. “All phones or devices must include a text or data plan to send a text to 9-1-1.”

Though the texting feature may come in handy for some situations, officials still stress “Call if you can -- text if you can’t”— as they can work faster to get you help via a voice call, as well as infer other key information from things like voice inflection.

“We’ve known for some time that this technology was coming. It is great to now see it come to fruition, giving the public another option to call for help when they need it,” said San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon.

Though the launch timing falls right on the heels of the San Bernardino massacre, the program has actually been in the works for nearly a year, Patch is told.

Watch the video above as Banning Police Dispatcher Alex Avery walks Patch through an example of the new system.

The following is a list of Law Enforcement Agencies who are currently equipped to receive Text-to-9-1-1 for Riverside County:

• Banning Police Department
• Beaumont Police Department
• Cathedral City Police and Fire Department
• Desert Hot Springs Police Department
• Palm Springs Police Department

And here’s the list for San Bernardino County:

• Barstow Police Department
• Chino Police Department
• California Highway Patrol – Barstow
• California Highway Patrol – Inland Empire
• Colton Police Department
• Confire Communication Center (San Bernardino County Fire Department, Apple Valley, Big Bear, Colton, Loma Linda, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Running Springs, Twenty-nine Palms, and Upland Fire Departments)
• Cal State University San Bernardino Police Department
• Fontana Police Department
• Montclair Police Department
• Ontario Police Department
• Redlands Police Department
• Rialto Police Department
• San Bernardino Police/Fire Department
• San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Valley Control Center/dispatch
• San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Desert Control Center/dispatch
• Upland Police Department