The Chula Vista Police Department is using a modern form of communication to let the public know what’s going on in the city. KPBS reporter Katie Orr has details.
The Chula Vista PD is using a new service called Nixle to send out messages to registered users via e-mail and text messages. The department is participating in a pilot project for the service and is the first in the country to use it. Nixle is similar to Twitter, but specializes in sending out information from cities and local organizations. Officer Bernard Gonzales says it’s a good way to get information out to the public.
“We send Nixle flashes out to citizens to let them know, hey, somewhere in the city of Chula Vista tonight there will be a DUI check point or a DUI saturation or whatever type of notification we want to put out there,” he says.
Gonzales says there are about 7,000 people signed up to receive the alerts. Chula Vista began using the free service in December.
Katie Orr, KPBS News
