Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Redlands residents can sign up to receive email alerts
The Redlands Police Department has added a new tool in its efforts to notify the public of important information and critical alerts, vital to creating and maintaining a safe community.
The department has contracted with CitizenObserver, a St. Paul, Minn., company that provides Internet communications tools that help law enforcement agencies to proactively disseminate crime alerts to registered members via email, digital cell phones or digital pagers.
The system will allow the Redlands Police Department to quickly disseminate crucial crime information – including suspect descriptions and photographs – directly to the public and provides a mechanism that allows citizens to respond with tips to officers and investigators. Police would also use the system to send out other critical alerts, such as information on critical missing persons and public safety notices.
Electronic crime alerts would be sent any time police believe the public could aid an investigation or when the information can help protect members of the community. Crimes would not be posted if the information could jeopardize the investigation.
For several years the Redlands Police Department has provided similar information via telephone using a “reverse 911” geonotify system. With the proliferation of immediate text messaging and devices that provide constant email access, CitizenObserver provides the department with an additional tool to widely disseminate critical information quickly.
"The RPD prides itself in its ongoing efforts to engage our community,” said Police Chief Jim Bueermann. “Citizen Observer is another example of how we strive to keep our citizens informed of police activities, investigations and emergency situations as they unfold. I encourage everyone to sign-up for this free service and stay informed of critical public safety issues."
The Redlands Police Department is one of nearly 200 agencies nationally and the first police agency in Southern California to partner with CitizenObserver.
Registration to receive Citizen Alerts is free. Citizens can sign up through the Redlands Police Department website at www.redlandspolice.org or through CitizenObserver at www.citizenobserver.com.
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