The Cornelius 911 Center has recently added the text-to-911 capability as part of a national initiative to modernize the 911 emergency call system. Cornelius residents and visitors, as well as students and faculty of Davidson College, who have Verizon, Sprint or AT&T Wireless can now send a short message service (SMS) text message to 911 for emergency help when unable to make a 911 voice call.

"The safety of our residents and visitors is our number-one priority and we will continue to improve our capabilities to ensure anyone can reach us at anytime. Text-to-911 could be a lifesaver in situations where a voice call is not an option. I congratulate our team members for their work in managing this project and setting an example for other public safety agencies to continuously improve services. Our Public Safety Dispatchers are honored to be among the first 911 Centers to provide this Next Generation 911 service to our citizens," said Police Chief Bence Hoyle.

"Verizon Wireless and TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) have been at the forefront of working with public safety stakeholders to bring text-to-911 to our customers," said Richard Craig, director of engineering for Verizon Wireless. "The SMS911 National Gateway enables us to bring reliable emergency communications to public safety answering points (PSAPs) across the country. We were proud to work alongside the Cornelius 911 Center team and TCS to deploy this new solution."