New system lets police call about emergencies

PROVO — Everyone knows to dial 911 in the case of an emergency. But now, for some wide-reaching disasters, Provo police may be calling you.

CityWatch, a reverse 911 system, allows police officers or dispatchers to record a message that will be sent from police to land lines in a defined area.

The message might be about a chemical spill and the need to evacuate. Or perhaps there's a missing child and police need neighbors to help them look.

"It saves us time and positions," said Lt. Brian Wolken, Provo's communication center manager. "We can get that information out quickly. In the past, we had to call every single person. That takes a lot of manpower. Now, boom, that message is out."

Residents will get more information about CityWatch through their March utility bills and messages from the Provo School District, Wolken said.

"We have a number of methods for reaching the public, including TV and radio, but TVs and radios are not always on," said Provo emergency management coordinator Jeff Beaty. "CityWatch fills a gap. It's another tool we can use to get to the public."

Officers are also encouraging residents who use a cell phone rather than a land line as their home phone to register their number on the city's Web site, provo.org. Wolken said the numbers are stored in a secure database used only for emergencies.

"We'll be able to notify large amounts of people in a small amount of time," he said. "We can also give people information so they don't inundate the dispatch center about what's going on, and help them feel at ease."

Provo police have been working with CityWatch for about four months, focusing mainly on internal calls to groups such as the SWAT team, search and rescue and other police officers to notify them about emergency situations.

Wolken referenced a situation in January when several hikers were stranded on Y Mountain and a dispatcher used CityWatch to quickly notify the city's Mountain Rescue Team, leading to a safe and effective rescue.

Utah County owns and maintains the CityWatch system, which is available for all Utah County cities, although not all of them are currently using it, said Justin Watters, Utah County Communications Division Manager. Maintenance and ongoing costs are covered by the County through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

West Jordan officers used their 911 system Monday after a suicidal man ran through a neighborhood with a gun, said West Jordan Police Lt. Bob Shober.

"We did a reverse 911 in that area and advised neighbors, 'Hey, stay inside, be on the lookout for this individual,'" he said.

Police soon located the man right in the area where the warning calls went out.

West Jordan Police also used the reverse 911 calls after an 8-year-old boy failed to come home from school on Feb. 12. He was later found at the home of a friend.

"It's a great system, a great tool," Shober said. "(We need) every tool that we can have to find a lost child or warn people about a crime in progress."

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