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Local law officials use Web to inform residents
Sep 24, 2009 (The Daily Republic - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Mitchell Police Department is the latest law enforcement agency in the state to use Nixle, a secure Web site where public safety and local officials can distribute information to residents.
The online program allows law enforcement or municipalities to send information through a cell phone, text message, email and posting on the department's page at Nixle.com.
Lyndon Overweg, Mitchell public safety chief, said the department will use Nixle to tell local residents about missing people, suspect information on major crimes, scam notices, road closures, snow alerts and other public safety announcements.
"It's kind of like having a Neighborhood Watch group around your whole town to be able to push all the information out," he said.
Nixle, based in Mount Laurel, N.J., was created in March when Chief Executive Officer Craig Mitnick, a former attorney and prosecutor, set out to bring back communities' connection with those who enforce the law.
"(Mitnick) didn't see anything out there to keep communities connected with law enforcement," said Carl Staico, agency relations and account manager.
More than 100 law enforcement agencies and communities in South Dakota have registered for the service. On a nationwide scale, Nixle has more than 2,800 law enforcement and local clients with roughly 100,000 users who get text messages or e-mails, Staico said.
Nixle's instant notification is better than a law enforcement or community's Web site as an online tool, he said.
"Everybody checks their email every day, while they might not check Mitchell Police Department's Web site every day," Staico said. "It's an easier way to ensure information gets to the public."
Overweg said he heard about Nixle through a national police publication. Public safety officials researched the system and read reviews from other agencies across the nation.
"The main thing is that it's a secure site and there is no cost to government," he said. "The more (people) we can get on, the better we will be able to utilize it."
Nixle stores users' information on its secure server and is not seen by law enforcement, Overweg said.
The system has proven its effectiveness, especially in the Midwest.
A 5-year-old girl was located in northwest Iowa after a teenager from Sioux Center, Iowa, called 911 to report seeing a missing child. He made the report 30 minutes after receiving a message from Nixle about the situation on Sept. 9, according to Sioux County Sheriff's department.
"The program worked exactly as it's supposed to," Sioux County Sheriff Dan Altena said.
The program is not only used by law enforcement. In the Mitchell area, Letcher city officials began using the site this summer as a venue for community events after the Sanborn County Sheriff 's Department registered.
Overweg said the Mitchell department will share pertinent information to the public. Other data could entail public health concerns or Neighborhood Watch events.
"We're going to try not to clog their text messages and cell phones with unneeded information," he said.
Two area law enforcement officials are also debating whether to join their brethren in this new form of disseminating public safety information.
Davison County Sheriff David Miles said he is looking into the system, but has yet to decide if the sheriff's office will use it.
Jones County Sheriff Fred Koehler said he is considering whether to join the system.
Overweg said the system will be valuable to warn residents to stay away when a major incident, such as a hazardous materials spill, occurs.
"People typically tend to go toward the sirens, smoke and fire because they want to see it," he said. "This would give us an opportunity to say, 'You have to stay back at least one mile due to a pending situation, whatever it may be.' "
Since the program went online recently, Mitchell police have sought information on Crimes of the Week cases, advised residents about street closures and to lock their doors after a spree of vehicle burglaries.
"The more eyes we can get out there, we have found it has benefitted us," Overweg said. "We rely on the community when these types of events happen."
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