By Emily Bohatch, The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS – Franklin County residents should be able to text 911 for help by the end of the year, city and county officials said.
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Under a plan signed last week by members of the 911 planning committee, residents seeking assistance from the Franklin County sheriff’s office, the Columbus Division of Police or the Grove City Police Department will be able to send a text message, said Ramona Patts, support services administrator for the Columbus Public Safety Department.
As part of an initiative by the Federal Communications Commission to expand its Text-to-911 program, the Franklin County, Columbus and Grove City 911 systems will be the first in central Ohio to have the program, Patts said.
“We have been spending a great deal of money updating the current 911 system so we can accept texts to 911,” she said.
The system is expected to cost $530,000, she said, which will come from money collected through a $0.25 charge on residents’ phone bills.
Text-to-911 is designed for those who are unable to call 911 for fear of drawing attention from a potential attacker. Think of someone hiding from a burglar. The system is also beneficial for those with hearing impairments, said Cecilia Weirick, the Franklin County Regional 911 coordinator.