Local Video
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| Police upgrade emergency message system |
By: DAVID HENKE, Staff Writer
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Posted: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 11:52 pm
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NORTHFIELD — If a train carrying hazardous chemicals derails or if a child goes missing, the Northfield Police Department will be able to get the word out to the entire community in a matter of minutes, thanks to a new emergency notification service.
This winter, the police are implementing CodeRED, a digitalized calling service that is capable of distributing up to 1,000 text messages or short voice messages a minute to home phones and cell phones in emergency situations.
The service, Police Chief Mark Taylor said, should allow the police department to quickly notify the whole community or smaller, targeted areas of Northfield with emergency broadcasts. CodeRED will replace City Watch, an older notification system that Taylor says is slower and more cumbersome. Anyone who has a phone number listed in the department’s 911 database is preregistered to receive the phone messages. Still, many of the numbers listed are not up-to-date, and the system doesn’t have cell phone records on file.
Which is why Deputy Police Chief Chuck Walerius is urging all Northfield residents who would like to update their contact information or are interested in receiving the notifications at their business or on their cell phone to register for the service at the Northfield Police Department Web site.
You can also sign a waiver online if you do not wish to receive the messages, which would only be sent during community emergencies or other urgent situations where the fast distribution of information is necessary, Walerius said.
Each text or automated phone message would be no more than a few sentences long, said Taylor, and could contain updated information about the emergency situation or even evacuation notices. The system would not be used in weather emergencies, Taylor said.
The notification system goes online on Jan. 1, Walerius said, and will be available for all residents in Rice and Steele counties.
“What people generally want to know is what course of action the city is taking or as much updated information about the event as possible, and this is another tool that will be useful for this,” said City Administrator Joel Walinski.
“I think what it does is it gets the word out quickly and it gets the word out to a lot of people,” Walerius said.
SIGN UP Although CodeRED already has access to phone numbers compiled under the 911 database, Northfield police are encouraging residents to update their information or register their cell phone numbers for the program. To sign up for CodeRED, visit www.ci.northfield.mn.us/cityservices/police and click on the CodeRED tab. If you live outside of Northfield, or are a Dundas resident, sign up for the service will eventually be available on the Rice County Sheriff’s homepage, www.co.rice.mn.us/sheriff. — David Henke covers city, business and youth issues. He can be reached at dhenke@northfieldnews.com or 645-1100. |
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I would also like to add that this is a secure system and information provided will not be utilized or shared with anyone. It is simply a message system that is used only for getting important information out to the citizens in case of an emergency related event within the city.
This system will provide essential information to the public that they might not receive if they are not signed up with the correct information. It is simply a calling tree to spread important information.