DHS, Integrated Justice Information Systems encourage 911 improvement at Google

At an event on Google’s campus known as the Text-to-911 Translation TechFest, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) joined with the Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute focused on public safety communications improvements that could benefit those with limited English proficiency.

The cooperation effort between the two organizations began four years ago, very few of the nation’s 911 call centers had texting options. Now, they say, those figures have risen to 30 percent, but the next big hurdle is to expand the option to the Limited English Proficient population. That group includes around 28 million people in danger of being left behind as the text program expands. As such, S&T and IJIS have turned to technologists, public safety leaders, language service providers, and trade associations for assistance.

“We anticipate the end result of this joint project will be a national standard for implementing Text-to-911 to LEP populations as well as operational, business, and training protocols that will ensure consistent national implementation,” Denis Gusty, DHS S&T program manager, said.

Current efforts are focused on best practices and expert suggestions for new standards. The TechFest itself helped highlight translation barriers and other research and development needs. As they collect such data, S&T and IJIS hope to begin pilot testing for the new program protocols with Virginia’s Arlington and Prince William counties later this summer.