NCJ Number
195403
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 69 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2002 Pages: 38-41
Date Published
2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the Bowling Green Police Department's (Kentucky) high-speed notification technology in a cross-jurisdictional setting.
Abstract
In 1976 the Bowling Green Police Department created a neighborhood watch program, which now involves about 70 watch groups. The program relied on manual call trees to alert its top members, who, in turn, made calls to the other participants. Call-outs included those about lost children, burglary suspects, as well as man-made and natural disasters. The manual call trees caused uncertainty when group members needed to relay updated information. To address these community concerns, a crime prevention officer began looking for a way to provide for immediate relay of information to the participants. High-speed notification technology was determined to be the best solution for fast, accurate communication to enhance community policing efforts, as well as to ensure the quick response of departmental personnel. In early 1997 the police department evaluated several high-speed notification systems in search of one that could meet the growing demands of both the department and the community. The department required a solution that could provide automation of all emergency and nonemergency communication procedures with immediate verification of call receipt. The department found that activation was as simple as placing a phone call or pushing a computer key and that notification times in emergency situations were significantly shortened. The department also discovered that the system could be used for numerous proactive police and community notifications that involve schools, hospitals, nursing homes, banks, and pharmacies. Police departments across the region, as well as State and Federal agencies, also tapped into the department's system for true cross-jurisdictional use. Sharing costs among participating agencies, the department reduced its own expenses while becoming an essential information hub for the region.