VALPARAISO: Residents can register for bulletins
at Web site
BY KEN KOSKY kkosky@nwitimes.com
219.462.5151 This story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday,
January 24, 2005 12:29 AM CST
VALPARAISO | The next time a scam artist targets Valparaiso
residents, a sex offender moves into the city or a criminal is on the
loose, the Valparaiso Police Department can send an e-mail with all the
details.
All residents have to do is tell police where to send it.
Valparaiso Police Chief Michael Brickner said the e-mail
bulletins will further the department's goal of sharing information with
the community and forming a partnership with residents.
People who want to receive e-mails should register their e-mail address by
visiting www.valparaisopolice.org and following the prompts.
Police said business owners and people who live or work in Valparaiso can
benefit by receiving information about crimes.
The Police Department can benefit by sending out sketches of suspects for
the public to identify. When 29-year-old Jamie Gray was killed outside her
Valparaiso apartment Wednesday night, police sent out an e-mail providing
information and asking for tips.
"There is an unlimited number of ways we can use it," Public Information
Officer Michael Grennes said.
"It might be once a week, three times a week or once a month (that police
send an e-mail)."
The e-mails will supplement existing methods of releasing information --
including posting information on www.valparaisopolice.org and releasing
news to local media. Participation is strictly voluntary and the system
will be secure so people's e-mail addresses won't be shared, Grennes said.
Other examples of information that might be e-mailed to people include
alerts about missing children, warnings if there is a sexual assault and
advertisements about police programs for residents such as the Citizens
Police Academy. Brickner said the system could be used to relay
information about citywide events in which the police are involved, such
as the upcoming mini-marathon and the resulting road closures.
In addition, people will be less likely to tie up police telephone lines
if they receive an e-mail about trick-or-treat hours or an official police
bulletin about a serious crime.
"It's another way of keeping the citizens of Valparaiso informed about
what's happening in their community," Grennes said.
"We're one of the few, if not the only department doing this."
