Video: King County looking into high-tech instant help

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SEATTLE - Imagine texting 9-1-1 or calling 9-1-1 with an internet connection.

King County believes the technology will be available sooner than you think.

On Tuesday King County unveiled a new concept being tested in Western Washington and four other municipalities by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

King County calls it Next Generation 9-1-1. It's a system which can pinpoint cell phones users, allow text messages to 9-1-1 dispatchers and alert dispatchers of cars equipped with OnStar involved in an accident.

While dialing 9-1-1 is most effective in King County on a landline, many people communicate through texting and voice over internet protocol, or VOIP.

"The 9-1-1 system today cannot interface to any of those new technologies," said Marlys Davis, a spokesperson for the county.

Davis says it could still be a couple of years before the high tech service becomes reality.