Cole County residents can start signing up to use a mass-notification system that would allow the Jefferson City Police Department to alert the public in the event of an emergency.
The JCPD, which operates the 911 system; Cole County Emergency Management Office; and Cole County Sheriff’s Department have been working since February to install the Smart911 app by Rave Mobility Safety.
Cole County Emergency Management Director Bill Farr said Wednesday the app is available to download on mobile phones at the Apple App Store or Google Play. More information is available at Smart911.com.
Last year, the Cole County Commission and Jefferson City Council agreed to pay half of the $22,000 cost to install the system.
Farr said users would opt in to the service and create profiles that include information they might want emergency personnel to know, such as health conditions, garage door passcodes or spare key locations. Subscribers would not be required to add such information.
If a subscriber calls 911, an operator will see his or her account and could give emergency personnel information. The system includes a 911 feature where if a subscriber calls the Police Department but is unable to speak, the 911 operator can initiate a text message conversation.
Osage and Boone counties, as well as State Technical College of Missouri in Linn, use Rave, police officials have said, and Lincoln University has entered a contract with the company for a similar mass-notification system.