Indiana is one of the nation’s leaders when it comes to texting 911 for emergency help.
TAll but four of Indiana’s 92 counties have signed on to a system that allows cellphone users to text 911.
Lake, Jasper, Marion and Ripley counties are the holdouts.
Only Vermont and Maine have all counties accepting text messages to 911. Fifteen other states have a few counties each that participate in the “Text to 911” system.
A federal order required all wireless carriers and text-messaging providers to allow users to send texts to 911 dispatchers by the end of 2014.
Communications officials say calling is still best but that text messages are useful when a person has a hearing or speech impairment or when it’s unsafe to speak.
