[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 140 (Thursday, September 15, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TEXT TO 911 IN NEW JERSEY

 Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I wish to commend the hardworking 
men and women in New Jersey who have made significant strides to ensure 
our State keeps pace with modern technology when it comes to public 
safety. This month, all 21 counties in our great State will have access 
to expanded 911 services, by being able to text to 911 in case of 
emergency.
  This exciting new development will help save lives across our State 
and serves as a national model for receiving public safety services. 
Text to 911 further empowers persons with disabilities--such as hearing 
or speech impairments--who may have previously faced barriers to 
accessing emergency services. Today, 911 in New Jersey is open and 
accessible to more residents than ever before, and I commend the hard 
work and collaboration in New Jersey that resulted in this 
accomplishment.
  Tragically, there are situations that happen every day where victims 
of crime or domestic violence are not in a position to physically call 
911. With text to 911, individuals who can't speak on the phone can 
still access vital services. Further, with text to 911 enabled, there 
may soon come a time when victims can send information they never could 
have before, such as photos which can be instantly shared with first 
responders on the ground.
  In February of this year, the text to 911 system was rolled out at 
Rutgers University and showed excellent results. In July, Camden County 
announced its successful implementation of this new service. And today 
all counties in our entire State have access to this convenient way of 
reaching local police. While this service is incredibly important and 
helps bring our emergency communications into the 21st century, it is 
important to note that, at this time, a phone call is preferred over a 
text message. I commend the educational campaign that has accompanied 
the text to 911 roll out, sharing the message to ``call if you can, 
text if you can't.''
  With this month's announcement, New Jersey leads the way as the fifth 
State to implement text to 911 in the entire Nation. This major 
achievement would not have been possible without the commitment and 
collaboration from cellular providers, Rutgers University, and other 
host sites across the State, as well as State and local governments and 
emergency response professionals who came together to advance this 
goal. I am confident that text to 911 will have a tremendous impact on 
the residents of our State, and I hope our successes and lessons 
learned in New Jersey can help further inform other States seeking to 
update their 911 capabilities and better protect their 
citizens.

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