Emergency Behind Emergency In Waukesha County Today on the CBS 58 News at 4
Captain Mike Glider of the New Berlin police department sent out an alert in the aftermath of a frightening confrontation between police and a heavily armed man.
It was to alert the public to the fact that very few of them had signed up for the reverse 9-1-1 alert system which is aimed at keeping folks from harm's way in such situations.
The post was clear and to the point:
"On Friday night, April 7th, New Berlin Police responded to a "shots fired" call in the subdivision south of Eisenhower High School off of Sunnyslope Road. Officers arrived and a suspect was shooting several different types of firearms randomly outside, with several bullets hitting neighboring homes.
Even handgun rounds will penetrate the exterior walls of a house and pose a definite danger to the occupants. He fired at officers and when they fired back, he retreated into his home.
We asked the Waukesha County Communications Center, our dispatcher, to put out a reverse 9-1-1 or emergency alert to that neighborhood, letting them know about the situation, and that they should get inside their homes and in the basement until the danger was over.
We later found out that only two residents in the affected area had signed up for this alert, which can be done via landline, cell phone and/or e-mail. We would like you to take few minutes and protect your family by signing up to receive these emergency alerts, so that they will be a more effective notification tool in these types of emergency situations, where going door to door is not practical."
In the weeks since the post the New Berlin Police Department got 40,000 views, even though our PD page has only about 4,500 followers.
But did that lead to any more signing up for the reverse 9-1-1 system?
Captain Glider will be a special live guest TODAY on the CBS 58 News at 4 along with Christine J Bannister, Dispatch Supervisor with
Waukesha County Communications.
For information on reverse 9-1-1 click here
On a related note, ProHealth Care Regency Senior Communities of New Berlin hosting an all you can eat spaghetti dinner to benefit the New Berlin Police Department Wednesday, May 3rd.
From 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Regency New Berlin, 13750 W. National Avenue.
It's suggested you enter on Fieldpoint Drive.
The cost is $8.50 for adults, $5.00 for children 3-11.
Kids under 3 eat free.