The West Windsor Police Department has added a new communications service to its Operation Lighthouse initiative, designed to utilize social media to deliver important communications directly to township residents even when emergencies reduce or cut power.
The Nixle Community Information Service will allow the police department to create and publish messages that will be sent to subscribed residents (for free) instantly via cell phone text messages or E-mail. Nixle’s website, nixle.com, will also be available for the latest online notifications from West Windsor Police.
Messages may range from information about road closings to alerts for serious crime offenders or other safety notices. Community event information may also be sent out.
According to the police department, proximity in a time of crisis may be key. Nixle messages can be sent specifically to residents within a quarter mile radius “giving them the opportunity to receive trustworthy information relevant only to their neighborhood.” Residents can also decide which local agencies they want to receive information from.
Under the umbrella of Operation Lighthouse Nixle will be used along with Facebook and Twitter, building on the social media interaction recommended and implemented by Lieutenant Robert Garofalo last summer.
The initiative paid immediate dividends as Garofalo says thousands of residents were able to interact with the West Windsor Police during and after Hurricane Irene last August. Social media feeds to their mobile devices, which were not impacted by power outages, gave residents the chance to get real-time status updates on township roads and damages as well as video and pictures.
