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Plano's 911 system to begin taking text messages this summer

This past Monday night, Plano City Council approved a $350,000 upgrade to the city’s 911 systems which would allow people to send a text message to 911 in the event of an emergency. The upgrades are slated for completion by early summer.
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City of Plano will soon be taking 911 distress calls via text message | Image via Shutterstock

This past Monday night, Plano City Council approved a $350,000 upgrade to the city’s 911 systems which would allow people to send a text message to 911 in the event of an emergency. The upgrades are slated for completion by early summer.

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The 911 text messaging upgrade announcement comes after the release of the Fix It Plano, a service which allows Plano residents to report non-emergency situations to various city departments, including parks and recreation, streets and traffic and recycling. Fix It Plano allows requests to be made via text message, phone call, and through the Fix It Plano mobile application, which is available for iOS and Android.

Currently, 911 text messaging is available in all cities of Collin County, excluding Plano, Richardson and Wylie. It is also only available in Dallas County cities of Balch Springs, Cockrell Hill, Sachse, Seagoville and Wilmer.

While the Plano Police Department would prefer that those in distress call 911 over the phone, the new text messaging service is ideal for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. It can also be helpful in the event of a home intrusion or in domestic violence situations.

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Although the upgrades are slated for completion by summer, there isn’t an exact timeline for the 911 text service availability. Updates on the project will be provided by City of Plano Police Department.