Collier County Sheriff's Office uses 911 text to locate alligator attack victim

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — The Collier County Sheriff's Office has expanded its emergency response capabilities with a new text-to-911 service that allows residents to send text messages, photos and live video during emergencies.

The technology was used in August, when dispatchers used it to locate a woman who had been attacked by an alligator.

"We were able to see that we had an alligator attack essentially," said Diana Miller, a CCSO dispatcher who took the call.

The sheriff's office responds to hundreds of emergency calls daily. While traditional 911 calls provide crucial information, sometimes verbal descriptions aren't enough to get the full picture of an emergency situation.

"I can send her a link for a text message or live video chat," Miller said.

The new system allows dispatchers to send callers a link that enables them to share their exact location, send photos or stream live video directly to the emergency response center.

"It gives them a link and all their information comes up exactly where they're plotting," Miller said.

The software has been available for a couple of years but was used sparingly until the August alligator attack incident. In that case, dispatchers were struggling to locate the victim on a large trail system.

"We noticed they were struggling to get her exact location since it's such a big trail," Miller said.

When someone calls 911, the operator may offer the text and video option, or callers can request it themselves. Dispatchers send a link that allows the caller to turn on their camera and show their surroundings.

"Knowing that we're doing everything we can, giving them all the latest technology to find out what's going on and help them the best it's pretty cool," Miller said. "We do this for our community to protect them and give back the best we can."