NCJ Number
203365
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 30 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2003 Pages: 48,50,51
Editor(s)
Ronnie Garrett
Date Published
November 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the REVERSE 911 system and its uses in alerting the public in the event of an emergency.
Abstract
The article describes the REVERSE 911 (R911) as an Interactive Community Notification system with headquarters in Indianapolis, IN. The product of the Sigma-Micro Corporation, R911 was begun in 1993 and was designed to quickly alert individuals in a specific geographic area concerning urgent public safety information. This Microsoft-Windows based program uses a combination of database and Environmental Systems Research Institute mapping technologies. The features of R911 include a community bulletin board, a hazmat feature for use during a chemical emergency, guardian calling, a personnel mobilization feature, outbound faxing and fax-on-demand capabilities, a phone line borrowing service, and voice mail and mass calling systems. After a brief discussion of the ways in which R911 has saved the lives of several individuals and informed the public concerning chemical spills and bomb threats, the states that R911 may help various agencies increase community awareness and involvement, while saving valuable man-hours and lives.