Every resident should feel confident calling 911, regardless of language.
Recognizing that trust is an essential part of public safety, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania recently launched a multilingual public safety outreach initiative encouraging non-English-speaking residents to call 911 without hesitation during emergencies.
Home to nearly 100,000 immigrants, the county is reinforcing an important message: emergency services are available to everyone, regardless of the language they speak.
By combining proactive community outreach with LanguageLine's on-demand interpretation services, Montgomery County is helping ensure that residents not only feel comfortable making the call, but can communicate clearly once they do.
A recent analysis by Montgomery County's 911 Center identified a concerning trend.
Overall use of interpretation services declined in 2025 compared to 2024, while Spanish-language interpretation requests—representing approximately 83% of all interpreted 911 calls in 2024—fell even more significantly. Both declines exceeded the county's overall 7.3% decrease in total 911 call volume.
County officials believe the decline may reflect concerns among some non-English-speaking communities about contacting emergency services amid increased immigration enforcement activity. When people hesitate to report crimes, fires, or medical emergencies, the entire community is affected.
"When our neighbors are afraid to call the police to report robbery or assault because of their immigration status, we are all less safe,” Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija said. “When people are afraid to receive lifesaving or life-sustaining services or healthcare because they are afraid that they will be asked a question that will result in their families being separated, we are all less well off."
Montgomery County responded by launching a comprehensive multilingual outreach campaign focused on education, reassurance, and accessibility.
Led by the Office of Immigrant Affairs, the initiative uses social media to distribute educational flyers, public awareness videos encouraging residents to call 911, and key facts explaining how the county's emergency response system operates. Resources are being shared in several widely spoken languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Korean, helping residents better understand what happens when they contact emergency services.
The county is also expanding engagement through ongoing meetings with first responders, the District Attorney's Office, the Sheriff's Office, municipal law enforcement partners, and community advocates to strengthen relationships and reinforce public confidence.
When residents call 911, Montgomery County's Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) can quickly connect to a professional LanguageLine interpreter through its emergency communications workflow. Available 24/7 in more than 240 spoken languages, LanguageLine enables dispatchers to communicate with callers who have limited English proficiency during life's most critical moments.
Specially trained emergency interpreters join the call as a third party, helping dispatchers quickly determine the caller's location, understand the nature of the emergency, identify medical needs, determine whether weapons are involved, assess how many people are involved, and gather the accurate information first responders need before arriving on scene.
Emergency calls involving language barriers are rarely straightforward. Background noise, emotional distress, regional dialects, incomplete information, and rapidly changing situations all make communication more difficult. In these moments, trained human interpreters provide more than word-for-word translation. They know how to clarify information, manage ambiguity, and help keep callers engaged long enough for dispatchers to obtain the critical details needed to send the appropriate response.
Designed specifically for mission-critical emergency communications, LanguageLine's public safety solutions provide Montgomery County with rapid interpreter connections, highly trained emergency interpreters, secure and reliable service, and integration with leading CAD, telephony, and NG911 platforms. By pairing these operational capabilities with the county's community outreach efforts, Montgomery County is helping ensure that every resident can confidently call 911, knowing clear communication will be available when it matters most.
Montgomery County's initiative demonstrates that effective language access begins before a 911 call is ever placed.
By pairing proactive community engagement with immediate access to professional interpretation, Montgomery County is demonstrating that effective emergency communications depend on both public confidence and operational readiness.
Community outreach builds awareness and confidence, helping residents understand that emergency services are available to everyone. Professional interpretation ensures that once the call is made, dispatchers and callers can communicate quickly, accurately, and effectively, even during high-stress emergencies where every detail matters.
When location information is incomplete or a caller is frightened and struggling to communicate, the ability of a trained interpreter to ask clarifying questions, resolve ambiguity, and maintain the flow of the conversation can help dispatchers obtain the information they need to send the right response as quickly as possible.
Together, these efforts strengthen public safety by helping every resident feel informed, reassured, and able to access emergency assistance when it matters most.
"In Montgomery County, public safety means safety for everyone. We are committed to ensuring that every resident feels informed, supported, and empowered to call 911 without fear. This initiative is about clarity, reassurance, and making sure people know when you call 911, help is there for you, no matter who you are."
— Jamila H. Winder, Chair, Montgomery County Board of Commissioners
LanguageLine has supported 911 call centers for decades; in fact, the service was created by a police officer specifically for public safety needs. Our training protocols were developed in partnership with 911 centers, and we support nearly 2,000 PSAPs nationwide. Our interpreters are trained specifically for emergency environments: they understand call flow, work fluidly in a three-way call, and handle high-pressure, high-noise situations.
With 24/7 access to professional interpreters in more than 240 spoken languages, ASL video interpretation, rapid connection times, secure, highly available infrastructure, and integration with leading NG911 and CAD platforms, LanguageLine helps public safety agencies communicate accurately when seconds matter most.
Contact LanguageLine to review your 911 language access protocols and help ensure your emergency communications teams are prepared to serve every caller, regardless of the language they speak.