Perryton PD is Hiring !

If you're looking for a great place to work, Perryton PD has an opening! They offer great pay, 12 hours shifts (4 on / 4 off), a retirement plan, and the City pays 100% of employee's insurance coverage. 

If you would like more information please contact the Perryton Police Department. 

 We will update with more information as soon as we have it available.

Social media continues to be a valuable asset for public safety agencies.

Central Jersey police using social media to keep public informed

Departmental Facebook, Twitter use part of growing national trend

8:15 AM, Jun. 28, 2011  |  

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Piscataway, 6/27/2011. -- Dispatcher Jillian Sofield and Lieutenant Edgar Velasquez work together to post a traffic advisory for July 4th to subscribers of the Nixle web service from the dispatch station at Piscataway Police Headquarters on Monday, June 27, 2011. AUGUSTO F. MENEZES/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER. METRO. BRI 0628 Social Media. B69114653Z.1 / A.F. MENEZES/MyCentralJersey

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Mark Spivey | Staff Writer

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Piscataway, 6/27/2011. -- Dispatcher Jillian Sofield and Lieutenant Edgar Velasquez work together to post a traffic advisory for July 4th to subscribers of the Nixle web service from the dispatch station at Piscataway Police Headquarters on Monday, June 27, 2011. AUGUSTO F. MENEZES/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER. METRO. BRI 0628 Social Media. B69114653Z.1 / A.F. MENEZES/MyCentralJersey

Purchase ImageZOOM

Piscataway, 6/27/2011. -- Dispatcher Jillian Sofield and Lieutenant Edgar Velasquez work together to compose and post a traffic advisory for July 4th to subscribers of the Nixle web service from the dispatch station at Piscataway Police Headquarters on Monday, June 27, 2011. AUGUSTO F. MENEZES/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER. METRO. BRI 0628 Social Media. B69114653Z.1 / A.F. MENEZES/MyCentralJersey

On the Web

For more information about the International Association of Chiefs of Police Center for Social Media, or to use a searchable database to find out what New Jersey police departments are making use of social media, go online to www.iacpsocialmedia.org. To find out more about Nixle, or to check what local police departments are using it, go to www.Nixle.com.

CENTRAL JERSEY — Mike Parker has a message for law enforcement organizations that have gotten into the habit of posting news releases and other public information to their department websites.

“If you’re doing that, you’re doing great — for 10 years ago,” Parker said.

A growing number of Central Jersey police departments and prosecutor’s offices are starting to use social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and other websites to accelerate dissemination of public information to residents, but they still remain exceptions to the rule. That’s why Parker, a captain with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and an internationally renowned expert in the field of public information in law enforcement, is joining a growing chorus of voices recommending that more agencies give the concept some serious consideration.

“This is the way our society is now, especially with our younger generation,” Hillsborough Police Chief Paul Kaminsky said in agreement. “They want immediate notification.”

Hillsborough’s police department in 2009 registered with Nixle, a subscription-based information service that allows law enforcement and other government agencies to connect with residents in real time via text messages, emails and other forms of online correspondence. About two dozen police departments in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Union counties have Nixle accounts, although only slightly more than half of them post regular updates.

Hillsborough went a step further and created a Twitter feed that automatically tweets Nixle updates as they are issued, Kaminsky said. The setup allows any of the township’s nearly 40,000 residents spread across 55 square miles to receive instant alerts about traffic conditions, road closures, suspicious vehicles and more — information that can get from an officer’s desktop computer straight to a resident’s smartphone in a matter of seconds.

“We normally posted these things on local television, which was great if you were home … and we also used 610 AM local radio through the (township) Office of Emergency Management,” Kaminsky said. “But this is just a way to get the information out quick in the most convenient ways possible.”

The police department issues about 10 to 15 alerts per month, and the free service has been received well by officers and residents alike, Kaminsky said.

“We strongly recommend it (to other police departments),” he said. “It’s definitely worthwhile.”

Nixle subscribers in Piscataway had an inside track to avoiding traffic Friday morning, when a notification advised that a portion of Centennial Avenue was experiencing alternating lane closures for a milling and paving project.

Piscataway Police Lt. Edgar Velasquez said the department signed up for the service a little more than six months ago and also has been pleased with the results. Township police dispatchers handle Nixle updates, Velasquez said, meaning vital public information isn’t even slowed down by an intermediary en route to residents.

“They’re the ones getting the first calls,” Velasquez said of the dispatchers. “Plus they work with computers all day long, so it seemed like a natural progression.”

Praise for the service and other sources of social media as conduits for public information was echoed by every keynote speaker at a recent roundtable conference held at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. Police chiefs, prosecutor’s office representatives and members of the media from across Central and North Jersey attended the event, where Parker and others outlined examples from across the country.

Speakers described how in Baltimore, Twitter has replaced telephone hotlines as the principal link between police and reporters; within 20 minutes of just about every major crime event, 140 characters or less of details are sent out to media subscribers. The Philadelphia Police Department has become a national phenomenon on Facebook, amassing more than 35,000 “likes,” others noted, while Toronto’s police department has more than 13,000 Twitter followers (a quirky sergeant in the department, Tim Burrows, has nearly as many in his own right, occasionally tweeting as frequently as 10 times an hour).

Using social media eases burdens on dispatchers, improves media relations, aids disaster management and generates tips for time-sensitive investigations, speakers noted. And it doesn’t hurt that Facebook and Twitter are both free services with combined user totals approaching 1 billion around the world.

“Social media is not a fad,” said Nancy Kolb, a senior program manager for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “And it will continue to evolve.”

According to estimates developed by the association, or IACP — which through its Center for Social Media helps individual police departments integrate online tools into agency operations — as of 2010 at least 1,300 U.S. police agencies used Facebook while more than 600 were on Twitter. One of the first state law-enforcement organizations to use Twitter was the New Jersey State Police, which today has more than 6,500 followers.

“At first I did it just for the media with a closed account … but I just got so tired of refusing people who requested it and weren’t part of the media that I just said, ‘You know what? It’s public information anyhow,’ ” said Sgt. Stephen Jones, the acting director of communication for the State Police.

The service has been helpful in spreading the word about events ranging from tornado warnings to bank robbery investigations, Jones said.

“There’s obviously a public safety benefit to asking for public input, whether it’s an Amber Alert type of thing … or something else,” Jones said. “It may even be something like we’re looking for who’s got this car involved in a hit-and-run.”

“Our goal is to get a lot more aggressive with this, too,” Jones added. “I wouldn’t say we’re ahead of the curve by any means. There’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

EmFinders

We featured some information in our last Newsletter about a new service called EmFinders. Below is some additional information and also a few videos that show what EmFinders is and how it being used. Be sure to pass this information along to your friends and family!

www.emfinders.com

What is EmFinders?

EmFinders is an emergency locating system that is triggered by the caregiver (not the missing person), and provides critical information for the recovery of a missing person.

Who benefits from the EmFinders EmSeeQ device?

The EmFinders EmSeeQ device is designed to help persons with intellectual disability, mental illness, brain injust and medical impairments (like Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome or autism) who are at risk of becoming disoriented and lost.

The EmFinders EmSeeQ device provides caregivers with peace of mind, knowing that law enforcement can quickly locate and recover their loved one should that person wander and become lost. Law enforcement benefits from the EmFinders EmSeeQ device by simplifying and expediting the process of locating a missing person. Senior communities benefit because they can protect their residents and reduce liability risks, while providing residents with maximum personal freedom.

What does EmFinders EmSeeQ cost the consumer?

The EmFinders EmSeeQ device is less than the cost of a typical cell phone with a minimal monthly service plan (less than $225.00 a unit and about $25 per month).

What does the EmFinders system cost E-9-1-1 and law enforcement?

There is NO cost to municipalities because the EmFinders EmSeeQ device leverages the existing E-9-1-1 and cellular systems. EmFinders collaborates with law enforcement and 9-1-1 in the recovery of missing persons by making the process faster, more effective and more efficient.

How does EmFinders work?

The EmFinders EmSeeQ is a small, watch-like, wireless device without buttons or a screen and is under the secure and remote control of the EmFinders operation center. The EmFinders EmSeeQ device is worn by individuals with medical impairments like autism, Down syndrome or Alzheimer’s disease. The device can only be activated at the request of the caregiver. Once activated, the device places a call and provides its location to an E-9-1-1 operator via the cellular network just as a standard cell phone would. The EmFinders system does NOT use GPS. Instead it uses triangulation through the cellular network to accurately determine a person’s location, including in buildings or environments that would typically interfere with GPS locators.

Why is EmFinders a good idea for E-9-1-1 and Law Enforcement?

The EmFinders solution utilizes existing cellular and E-9-1-1 systems; it speeds up the location and recovery of a missing person but at NO incremental cost to municipalities. A call from the EmFinders EmSeeQ device is a pre-screened 9-1-1 call. The device can only call 9-1-1 AFTER a caregiver has reported their loved one missing to law enforcement.

What is the typical emergency and recovery process? 

1. Caregiver calls 911 to file a missing persons report.
2. 911 operator takes relevant information, creates missing person file and provides a call for service or case number to the caregiver.
3. A registered caregiver calls the EmFinders Operations Center (EOC) to request device activation by providing a police call for service or case number.
4. EmFinders:
   • a. verifies caregiver identity,
   • b. notifies the 911 Dispatch Center associated with the address of the missing person of the impending call (i.e., the center most likely to receive the 911 call) and
   • c. remotely activates the device.
   • NOTE: In order to manage battery-life, the device will check for an activation command on a forty minute cycle, so the average wait time is 20 minutes.
5. Once activated, the device:
   • a. reports its location to the nearest 911 Dispatch Center,
   • b. transmits an audio message to the 911 operator explaining the nature of the emergency, and
   • c. provides the phone number of the EOC.
6. EmFinders analyzes the Cell ID associated with the 911 call from the device to confirm that the 911 Dispatch Center contacted by the device is the one that received advance notice.  If not, EmFinders will initiate contact with the appropriate 911 Dispatch Center to ensure a two-way communication line is established with the EOC.
7. 911 Dispatch Center dispatches a police officer (or other emergency responder) to the location reported by the device and if not already in contact with the EOC, may contact the EOC for additional information regarding the missing person.  This information will include:
   • a. the jurisdiction in which the missing person was reported (if different than that receiving the 911 call from the device),
   • b. the identity and physical description of the missing person,
   • c. known medical conditions, and
   • d. caregiver contact information.
8. 911 operators can rebid and provide an updated location to police as required.
9. Police assist in reuniting the missing person with the caregiver (or, if necessary, securing emergency medical treatment).
10. 911 Dispatch Center, police or caregiver instructs EmFinders Operations Center to cancel alert (deactivate device).

Let the Good Times Roll !

Hello everyone!

We would like to thank you for visiting our blog. This is a new project for the PRPC 911 Network and we are really excited about it.

Our intention for this blog is to provide you with information about 9-1-1 news, training, public education and technological innovations. (We will also have a little bit of fun stuff thrown in the mix too.)

We want to hear from you ! If there is a topic or event you would like included in the blog please feel free to email Melanie, our moderator, with the information.

mdavis@theprpc.org or prpc911@gmail.com