According to a recent press release from the City of Merced, the city implemented a new way to contact 911.

The Merced Police Department, in conjunction with the State of California 911 Emergency Communications Branch and AT&T, provided the availability of the new integrated text-to-911 system.

The service is available to all residents in the City of Merced who may not be able to safely make a voice call to 911 in an emergency.

The City of Merced strives to provide additional services to the deaf and hard of hearing community, but also to those residents who may not be able to safely make a voice call. 

Voice calls to the 911 are a preferred way to any law enforcement dispatch.

The text-to-911 system is an integrated part of the new phone system.  Just as the 911 dispatcher answers a voice call, the text message will come directly to the dispatchers the same way.

The Merced Police Communications Center completed testing with the following major network carriers in the area: AT&T, Verizon T-Mobile, Sprint, and Xfinity mobile. 

All of the testings were successful according to the City. Merced Police is the second agency in Merced County to begin accepting text-to-911 messages with others soon to come.

Police encourage the community to still use the voice call to 911 and to use the text feature only when you’re not safe to make a call.

Voice calls are handled faster due to the immediate interaction between the caller and the dispatcher.  Remember… “Call when you can, text when you can’t.”