People living in Linn County can now text 911, instead of just calling.

Authorities in Linn County have worked for a couple years to launch the program.

People can text 911 with their location and describe the emergency.

That text message goes to a dispatch center in a matter of seconds.

The organization Deaf Iowans Against Abuse has also pushed for this program.

"We're kind of stubborn anyways, a little bit, and not just survivors but all of us. We want to take care of ourselves and we want our independence and we want to take care of those situations ourselves and not rely on other people to do those things for us," Jennifer Upah-Kyes said.

"Somebody who maybe is held against their will or some other type of crime, they're not able to talk because their abuser is close by, but maybe they can get to their phone and text," Colonel John Stuelke said.

Calling 911 is still somewhat faster than texting 911. So authorities recommend people still call instead of text, if possible.