Statement from Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton on Adoption of Contract for ‘Text to 911’ Implementation

Statement from Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton on Adoption of Contract for ‘Text to 911’ Implementation

(MINEOLA, N.Y.) – On Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, the Rules Committee of the Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously to approve a $106,417 purchase order with the Intergraph Corporation for a custom interface text-to-911 interface.

The move follows Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton’s July 31 filing of legislation which would mandate the implementation of text-to-911 in Nassau County. Not only is the service already live in numerous New York State counties, including Suffolk, Ulster, Niagara, and Putnam Counties, Nassau County must implement a program by Sept. 15, 2023 under the terms of a May 2023 settlement in a case alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Following today’s action, Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove) issued the following statement:

“The implementation of text-to-911 capabilities is an important step toward modernizing our emergency response capabilities and providing life-saving resources anyone who needs to reach authorities discreetly, such as in an active shooter, hostage, or domestic violence crisis,” Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove) said. “Today’s action will also place us on a path toward compliance with a looming court mandate. I am hopeful that Nassau will ensure the service is equipped with robust language access capabilities so that every Nassau resident can reap the benefits of a worthwhile endeavor that can make all of us safer.”