People who call 911 in Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe will receive text updates on their calls under a system the San Diego County Sheriff's Office launched Thursday, Oct. 8.

The platform, called CommunityConnect, sends automated texts to people who contact the Sheriff's Communications Center, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. Built by software company Versaterm, it plugs into the department's existing Computer-Aided Dispatch, or CAD, and fires off messages without extra work from staff.

Not every call triggers a text. Only certain call types and outcomes qualify for notifications.

Three types of messages

Callers who do qualify can expect up to three kinds of texts. The first is an acknowledgment sent within minutes, confirming the call was logged and providing an event number. It also notes that a deputy will respond when available.

If a call sits in the queue for 30 minutes, the system sends a delayed-arrival alert. That message repeats every 60 minutes, up to three times.

The third text arrives 10 minutes after a call is cleared. It tells the caller the outcome, such as an arrest, a cancelled call or a deputy response.

Each message includes a link to view the information in Spanish. Recipients can opt out anytime by replying STOP.

800,000 calls a year

The Sheriff's Communications Center handles an average of 800,000 calls for service annually and processes more than 2,000 per day, with a goal of answering each within 15 seconds, according to the department.

The Sheriff's Office said the system addresses a gap in public safety communication: people who report emergencies or crimes often do not learn what happened after they hang up. Follow-up has historically required time and resources that departments do not always have, the agency said. The San Diego Union-Tribune also covered the launch.

The rollout follows another communications upgrade earlier this year. In March 2026, the Sheriff's Office began using an AI-powered system to answer non-emergency calls and route them to the right person, the Union-Tribune reported at the time. All 911 calls continue to be answered by human dispatchers.

The North Coastal Station of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services to Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe. For emergencies, call 911. The non-emergency line is 858-868-3200.