Taking advantage of the latest trends in technology, Marion County, Fla., has become the latest in the country to accept distress calls via text message. By texting a message to a Sheriff's Office phone number, residents who are in danger can reach emergency responders through the Communication Center. The Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) advises that the new number should be used for serious situations, but only if calling 911 isn't an option.

"Call first, if you can," said Judge Cochran, MCSO's public information officer. "But put this secured phone number in your cell phone just in case you're in a scenario where you cannot talk."

Texting emergencies might seem like a commonsense solution. But most law enforcement agencies have yet to implement such a service, despite the fact that the U.S. sees 4.1 billion text messages per day, according to CTIA, The Wireless Association's 2009 semi-annual wireless industry survey. More police departments, however, have recognized that phones aren't just made for calling, as seen with the rise of text-a-tip crime-prevention programs. Last August, a 911 call center in Black Hawk, Iowa, reportedly became the first in the nation to start accepting emergency text messages.

"The adoption of texting by a 911 system is as good an indicator as any of the movement to a digital culture," Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, wrote in a blog post at StaySafeOnline.org. "Accepting text messages is a huge change as it recognizes the expanding ways we communicate and adopt new communications technologies."

Go to Government Technology to read more about Marion County’s adoption of texting 911.

[Photo courtesy of © Eti Swinford | Dreamstime.com.]