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Geauga sheriff Twitters with new technology
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - July 29, 2009)
Geauga sheriff Twitters with new technology
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
As technology moves forward, the Geauga County Sheriff's Department is keeping pace.
Sheriff Daniel C. McClelland said the department will begin offering a new service to residents that may aid in avoiding inconvenient situations or even save someone's life.
The department will begin employing a Twitter service for those interested in signing up. It is as simple as typing in geaugasheriff on the Twitter device.
"We are setting up a tool, another means to get messages out when time is of the essence," Mr. McClelland said.
It may be used to notify residents of road closures due to accidents or a fire, he said. Or it may be able to put out an alert for a missing child, if the Amber Alert requirements cannot be met in the situation, he said. Similarly, Mr. McClelland said, an alert for a missing adult with Alzheimer's disease also may be issued on the new service.
Mr. McClelland said he got the idea for using the Twitter service about a month ago. It was during the height of unrest in Iran, he said. Accounts of the demonstrations and government crackdowns were halted, except for the Twitter transmissions coming out of the country.
Mr. McClelland said such a communication device seemed to be another means to keep people informed.
Because any message on Twitter is limited to 160 characters, the notification system is limited in what information can be put out. However, he said, when more information is called for, residents will be advised to call up the department's Web site.
The messsages issued on Twitter also can be received through a cellular telephone or computer.
The department has employed a notification call-out system for advising residents of activities, such as the mock hostage situation at Chardon High School in May.
Last week, the notification system was successfully used to help identify a man who had collapsed along an Auburn Township street. The man had no identification on him and officials were able to get a response from a neighbor who knew him.
The Twitter service, he said, will be used for more immediate situations. He said if the mock drill at the high school had been a real crisis, Twitter would have been used.
He said residents coming home from work in Cleveland could receive a message that an accident has closed Kinsman Road (Route 87) at Gingerich Road, allowing them to avoid that area during their ride home. He said the same would hold true if a snowstorm struck and police had to close Sand Hill, a steep grade along Mayfield Road (Route 322) in Munson Township.
He said keeping residents rerouted around such situations not only makes their ride easier, but also helps law enforcement and safety workers handling the area.
Mr. McClelland said his department is the first county office to make use of Twitter to aid the public. He said the Ohio State Highway Patrol has begun to make use of the communication device, but generally issues public service announcements, such as that extra patrols will be out on a weekend.
He said he hopes to take it a step further with notification of more immediate situations that the public can benefit from.
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