The Sioux Falls Police Department launched a new Community Notification Service called “Nixle” last week to improve communication with people who live, work, and visit our area. The system provides a quick, efficient, and secure way to get neighborhood-level information out to community members who subscribe to the system. Through www.nixle.com the department will be able to send text message (SMS) and e-mail alerts to subscribers in a specific area, down to .25 miles. Notifications might be considered in the following instances:

• A young child or adult with Alzheimer’s disease walks away from their home. The alert can include a picture of the child or vulnerable adult with a map identifying the area at which they were last seen.
• A public safety emergency requires people to stay in or remain away from their homes. A Nixle alert can let residents with a registered address in the affected neighborhood know what’s happening, allowing residents to take a proactive role in their own safety.
• A serious injury or fatal crash in which traffic investigators close down the intersection for several hours during the morning commute. This situation might warrant a notification to subscribers who live or work in the area, encouraging them to select a different route to work.

Through Nixle, we will deliver messages securely to citizens by e-mail and cell phone, supporting and expanding our community outreach efforts. Obviously, the system will be most effective when we have large numbers of subscribers. Please spread the word about our use of the system. Nixle is a secure communications service available to municipal, county, and state government agencies. There is NO spam or advertising associated with Nixle Municipal Wire messages. The system is free (standard text message rates apply for subscribers who do not have text plans with their cell phone providers).

Use the link above to create your Nixle account today to start receiving community messages.