Anyone who calls 911 from a cell phone in Eaton, Branch, Calhoun or St. Joseph counties will receive a text message letting them know which state trooper is en route to their location along with an estimated arrival. Subsequent texts will tell them if the trooper is delayed.
Lieutenant Renee Gonzalez with the Michigan State Police says that information is valuable for emergency calls.
“we've had incidences where once the caller makes a call for service, it could be a traffic crash, they may be waiting 45 minutes or so. So it's a good idea for them to know how long they could be waiting.”
Callers will receive a survey within 24 hours after the incident to provide feedback.
The pilot will run for three months. After that, state police will explore if they want to launch the text message service statewide.
