Nixle in action: In the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, Detroit takes action

Recently #SanBernardinoShooting has been trending on Twitter and taking over our news feeds. This tragic event has raised numerous questions and emotions. Many are looking for answers as to why this happened. With the accessibility and reach of social media, rumors and misinformation are able to spread rapidly, and facts become hard to separate from fiction. Amongst this heartbreaking chaos, law enforcement not only had the responsibility of doing their best to protect the rest of the community and get to the bottom of what happened, but also to keep the community informed and to be better prepared in the future.

While San Bernardino is doing their best to recover, another city decided to prepare now before they risk a similar event. The city of Detroit has recently adopted Nixle to ensure their community is equipped to handle unexpected events. If a public crisis does arise, Detroit plans to have an emergency system that has the capability of reaching residents quickly and reliably. In a recent interview, Hilton Kincaid, the head of the Detroit Homeland Security said, “We continually try to update our processes and our plans to make sure that what we are hired to do, keep the city safe, we can do that.” [1]

With this goal in mind, Detroit officials have strongly encouraged residents to sign up for Nixle alerts, emphasizing how easy it is to do (simply text a zipcode to 888-777) and that there is no charge to sign up. Chief Kincaid also said that if they were to experience an active shooter, they could use Nixle to alert residents to stay clear of the area. As chief planner for the city’s Department of Homeland Security, Chief Kincaid decided it was time to push forward with the emergency notification and community engagement system. Originally at 10,000 users, Chief Kincaid’s influence has brought 7,000 additional people to sign up for Nixle in just two weeks. [2] That is 7,000 more lives that can be saved by having reliable access to information when they may need it most.

Detroit is just one of many cities that is learning from unfortunate events in the recent past. With the amount of disasters and tragedies rising, agencies are putting in their best effort to handle any emergency that may arise. With a form of communication that comes directly from trusted departments, residents have an important resource that they can trust in times of need.

The more people added to your notification system, the more capable you are of saving lives by out sending critical information. Our webinar replay, Increasing Your Resident Opt-In Database with Evebridge, shares how to best reach residents and encourage them to become a part of your Nixle community.

[1] http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/55596988-story

[2] http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/13823/how_to_get_emergency_alerts_from_the_city_of_detroit#.VnrbW5MrKph