In a joint effort to assist the hearing- and speech-impaired, as well as those who are in a situation where it is too dangerous to dial 9-1-1, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has collaborated with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and California Highway Patrol’s Southern Division (CHP) in announcing that 77 local Los Angeles County law enforcement and fire agency dispatchers will be equipped to receive and respond to mobile phone SMS "Text-to-9-1-1" messages.
“Call if you can—text if you can’t’’ is an important slogan developed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as the latest technology is introduced in California. In order for anyone to make the text call to 9-1-1, all cellular phones must have a text plan. All Los Angeles County Sheriff's Stations will have the ability to receive 9-1-1 text messages in the future.