What to Know
- People who find themselves in an emergency while in New Jersey can now text 911
- Officials say that calling 911 is still preferred and that texting is aimed at people in situations where it is unsafe or impossible to talk
- The option isn't available yet in New York or Connecticut
People in New Jersey now have the option to text 911 in emergency situations.
The ability to text the well-known emergency hotline came into fruition this week following a collaboration between cellular providers, emergency dispatch units, state police, Rutgers University and the state’s Office of Information Technology (NJOIT).
NJOIT head Dave Weinstein said everyone in the state now has another “ubiquitous communication channel for interacting with emergency services personnel.”
Texting 911 isn't available yet in New York State, although Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have shown support for the idea. A plan to bring texting 911 to Connecticut is in the works.
Officials in New Jersey say calling is still preferred to texting, hence the national slogan for the initiative: “Call when you can, text when you can’t.”
But there are a number of circumstances when it’s unsafe to speak, such as a mass shooting or domestic violence situation. There are also times when cell service may not be available but data service is.
Local
Texting will also help people with hearing impairments or speech disorders.
“There are circumstances in which people witnessing suspicious activity, people in danger, or people desperately in need of medical help cannot talk – but are able to text,” state Attorney General Christopher Porrino said.
If users need to text 911, they should open their message app and type “911” in the “to” field. They should then type their location and a brief description of their problem in the message field before pressing “send,” officials said.
Sending photos and video is discouraged and 911 texts are only available in English.
For more information, visit www.tech.nj.gov/911.
