NCJ Number
201160
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 51 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2003 Pages: 107-108
Date Published
June 2003
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article describes the high-speed notification technology that is being used by the Bowling Green Police Department (Kentucky), with attention to its use at times of school crises.
Abstract
Nationwide, hundreds of police agencies rely on high-speed notification technology to automatically alert first responders and warn communities when critical situations jeopardize public safety. The Bowling Green Police Department (BGPD) was made aware of the need for a high-speed notification system in cooperation with the county school system when an anonymous bomb threat (later proved to be false) was received for one of the schools. Shortly after the bomb threat was safely resolved, a new partnership was formed between the school system and the BGPD for improved communications in a crisis situation. The BGPD's high-speed notification system, called The Communicator!, was first used during a severe hailstorm in April 1998. Hospitals, day care centers, utility companies, and other potentially vulnerable sites were successfully notified within 9 minutes of activation, keeping injuries and property loss to a minimum. Activation of the system was as simple as placing a phone call or clicking a computer mouse. The Communicator! was introduced to the county school system, and scenarios were developed that would meet the school system's notification needs, including enabling school officials to activate a call-out themselves. Implementing a notification plan that uses BGPD's high-speed notification technology and the school system's contact information is an ideal example of police and communities working together for improved public safety.