An advocate for victims of domestic abuse says the ability to text 911 in an emergency in Outagamie County will help.
Beth Schnorr is the executive director of Harbor House in Appleton, and she says calling 911 isn’t always possible. She says if an abuser hears the victim on the phone, it could put the victim in immediate danger.
Schnorr says texting is a great option, if people are hard of hearing or have impaired speech.
Outagamie County is the third county in northeast Wisconsin to offer the texting option.
Sheriff’s deputies still urge people to call 911, if they can. They say that’s because they can try to pinpoint the caller’s location, and that’s not possible with a text.