LAKE COUNTY ? Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) would like to remind the public of a free information service available to all residents of the county. The urgent alert service, called Nixle, was recently utilized in a law enforcement operation in Lucerne.
Nixle is a community information service that allows the LCSO to create and publish messages to be delivered to subscribed residents instantly via cell phone text message and/or e-mail. Notifications can also be accessed online at Nixle”s Web site, www.nixle.com.
“It”s a sign of technology,” Sheriff Lt. Brian Martin said. “Sometimes government is not as fast as the general population in utilizing technology, but citizens use technology and they are demanding that information comes out quickly. This is probably the best way to get accurate information out to the public.”
Messages may include crime alerts, information about fires, missing person information, road closures and public advisories as well as other relevant safety and community event information.
“The Lucerne incident was the first time we used in a live situation and it appears to work,” Sheriff Lt. Brian Martin said. “I don”t know that (the suspect”s) capture was a direct result of Nixle, but it was a direct result of information received from the public after the messages went out.”
Martin said the LCSO does not have the capability to determine how many people have signed-up for the service; however, he said Nixle is being used by Lake County citizens. “We can”t put a number on how many people are using the service, but it is having an impact. We get feedback, probably a couple times a week, from people who use it, some offering suggestions on how to improve it,” he said. “It”s not going to work if only one person signs up for it. If we could get everyone in the county signed up, that would be most effective.”
The Nixle service does not replace the “Citywatch” system that the LCSO utilizes. While Citywatch program operates using the 9-1-1 system database to send voice recorded messages, the program does not reach residents who use cell phones exclusively and may not reach residents who use Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) or Internet-based phone services. Citywatch will be used now in only the most critical of notifications.
Martin said the Nixle.com service is secure, reliable and free for the agency to use. Messages can be sent specifically to residents registered within a variable radius, giving them the opportunity to receive trustworthy information relevant to their neighborhood, he said. Residents decide if they want to receive information. Subscribers can also choose the way alerts are received, whether it is by e-mail, text message or through the Web.
Martin said there is no spam or hidden cost; however, text message rates do apply.
Nixle builds on the foundations of other public-to-public communication services such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace adding a key component of security. Martin said when citizens receive information from LCSO via Nixle they know it can be trusted.
Residents of Lake County and those neighboring communities can immediately begin receiving pertinent information via text message, e-mail and Web by registering at www.nixle.com.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
