Fremont Police Department now responding to 911 text messages

FREMONT, Calif. -- The Fremont Police Department is the latest law enforcement agency to now accept "text-to-911" services for emergency responses.

People on wireless devices in Fremont can now send a text of up to 140 characters to 911 during an emergency when making a call is not possible, according to police.

Examples of the service are if the person reporting the emergency is deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, or if speaking out loud would put the person or others in danger, police said.

The service does not accept photos or videos, and people are asked to try to contact 911 another way if they don't receive a response, according to police.

Fremont police ask people making non-emergency calls to call (510) 790-6800, ext. 3.