WINNEMUCCA — The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has implemented a community Emergency Notification System and is reaching out to the public to participate in the project through an online sign-up process.

To register:  Community Sign-up

The Emergency Notification System allows law enforcement to electronically notify pockets of the community – or the entire county if the situation demands – when an emergency occurs.  For example, the system will notify residents if their neighborhood is being evacuated or if a crime has occurred, such as a child abduction, and law enforcement needs immediate assistance with possible eyewitnesses.

The electronic outreach will contact residents over the phone or by email and is capable of reaching thousands of community members in a short time. Residents contacted by phone will hear a voice message from the sheriff's office with information on the situation.

Information from the sign-up will not be used except in emergencies and will not be given out to other government agencies.

AT&T customers living in Winnemucca have had their home telephone numbers registered already. However, residents should sign-up in order to receive the emergency information on their cell phones or emails.

Those in the outlying areas of Humboldt County, with special reference to those living in the Harney Telephone district, will need to sign-up in order to receive the emergency notification.  Same-same for those in Winnemucca who do not have home telephones and who rely strictly on cell phone service.

The registration is easy and takes just a few minutes. The process does not require residents to input their addresses, just the immediate contact information.

Those who remember the rolling evacuations during the 2007 Thomas Canyon Fire will appreciate the need for the system.   Had the system been in place then, it could have been used to deliver a message to particular neighborhoods which needed to evacuate.

The system has been used by other law enforcement agencies nationwide to deliver “Amber Alerts”, and also to seek out the public’s help in serious criminal investigations. This notification system was used to alert neighborhoods surrounding the University of Nevada Reno during the investigation phase of the Brianna Dennison case a few years back.   

The Emergency Notification System used by the HCSO is a product of CityWatch.com.