Franklin County enables text-to-911; Pacific police report increased call volumes and new hires

Pacific — Franklin County’s 911 center has implemented text-to-911 service and Pacific police reported increasing call volumes and several personnel updates during the June 3 Board of Aldermen meeting.

Jeff Titter, director of Franklin County 911, said the county recently refreshed its 911 system to add text-to-911 and that Pacific and Washington are participating. “People can now text. It's preferably that you call, because voice ... the interaction is faster. Text, you will still be texting with a live dispatcher, but there'll be some delay,” Titter said, noting the feature benefits callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or otherwise unable to speak.

Pacific Police Chief Klingler reported the department has received more than 1,800 calls for service for the year, approximately 1,400 of which came in via 911. He also said the department has nearly 7,000 CAD (computer-aided dispatch) events logged year-to-date, including traffic stops and officer-initiated activities. For May the department recorded about 114 traffic enforcements totaling roughly 38 officer hours. The chief said two new officers have start dates set and two additional candidates are in ongoing hiring processes.

The board did not take formal action on these items; the 911 system update is a countywide operational change described for the record and the chief’s report was informational.