Metro’s 911 texting service has received 87 messages since launch

The Metropolitan Police Department announced Thursday that it has received 87 messages since its “Text to 9-1-1” program launched Monday.

“What we’ve seen already this week, a common situation is domestic violence,” Elliott Davis, communications manager for Metro, said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “Situations where the person is afraid of letting the other person know that they contacted the police. This is a way that they can contact (police) and be quiet about it.”

The program also assists those who are deaf, hard of hearing, speech-disabled or cannot speak safely because of an emergency.

Dispatchers have previously communicated with deaf and speech-disabled callers through interpreters, Davis said, but he hopes this added accessibility will be “a huge benefit for them.”

“I do think it’s a convenient way, and it’s what everybody’s doing,” he said. “It offers a quicker, more everyday type solution for them wherever they are; it’s easy to use.”

Location is the most important information required to get callers the needed help, police say.

Cellphone coordinates are still not as reliable through a text as through a call, Davis said. He explained that the data that dispatchers get through text is not as accurate as through a voice call, since there is no national standard for texting 911.

“It’s important that people stay engaged with us on the back and forth of information,” Davis said.

Nonemergency calls should still go through 311, which does not have a text line.

Contact Jannelle Calderon at jcalderon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @NewsyJan on Twitter.