As part of the Los Angeles County Text to 911 system, the San Gabriel Police Department is now equipped to receive emergency texts via 911.

Text to 911 is a great alternative to situations in which calling may not be feasible. However, residents are always encouraged to make a voice call to 911 whenever possible.

A few notes about the new service:

• Photos and videos cannot be sent to 911 via text message
• Text messages to 911 should be in English without the use of abbreviations or emojis
• All messages sent to via text-to-911 will be treated as emergency inquiries 
• A texting or data plan is required to text to 911
• If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled and text to 911 is not available, please use a TTY or a telecommunications relay service, if available
• Texts to 911 cannot be sent to another person

If text to 911 is not available, you will receive a bounce-back message that will advise you to contact emergency services through other means, such as a voice call or telecommunications relay service. “This is a great significant enhancement to our emergency services and although we were late adopters, I’m proud our department now has the text-to-911 capability,” said Police Chief Gene Harris.

For any questions about the service, please contact Lieutenant Fabian Valdez at 626.308.2828 or via email at FV072@SGPD.com.