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English-speaking people who need emergency assistance anywhere in St. Louis County can now reach emergency services by texting 911.

The new center is expected to reduce 911 wait times.

The 16,000-square-foot facility houses a new St. Clair County 911 dispatch unit, office space for the county sheriff's department and backup equipment for the light rail system's control center.

The survey is sent to most people who call 911 within six hours. The department previously mailed postcards once a year, a method that had a response rate of just 10%.

The work will be done over a period of 18 months. It will allow dispatchers to get the exact location of a cellphone call, rather than relying on triangulation using nearby towers.

Previously, dispatchers were classified as clerical workers, which didn’t give them access to the benefits other first responders receive. Experts hope this will attract more candidates to the job.

The Legal Roundtable weighs in on St. Louis’ 911 system, a defamation lawsuit against the Gateway Pundit, and more.

Two people died during severe storms over the weekend. In both cases, it’s not clear how long it took for dispatchers to be able to answer calls.

The 911 system in the St. Louis area is inefficient and fragmented and uses outdated technology. That’s according to a new report by Forward Through Ferguson, which examined public safety and the 911 system in the region.

The St. Louis County Police Department began having an intelligent voice assistant answer non-emergency calls last month. Officials in the communications bureau say nonemergency call volumes for dispatchers have dropped about 60% since then.