GREENSBORO, N.C. — Most of us heard about what happened to Greensboro Police Officer Sgt. Nix through a Blue Alert on our phones or TVs.
The Blue Alerts are used to rapidly get the word out to other law enforcement and the public that a law enforcement officer has been hurt, the threat is out there, and there is a specific description and direction of that threat. We've had viewers ask, is there a way I can be alerted anytime something is going on in my community?
CodeRed Alerts could be your answer. It's a software local and state agencies as well as companies can use to keep their community informed. It allows for mass notifications.
More than 150 entities in North Carolina use CodeRed to get their messages out— from utility companies, hospitals, and counties.
The most common alerts are for weather, traffic impacts, utility outages & public alerts to shelter in place.
"CodeRed has been operating in Rockingham County for years. If we want to notify a neighborhood of a gas leak or any other type of issue that may affect public safety. All we have to do is get it to our 911 center and they push it out," said Sam Page, Rockingham County Sheriff.
In Rockingham County, CodeRed alerts are issued several times a week. All in all, some 69,000+ people can be reached at one time.
"CodeRed is free, you subscribe to it and anytime you subscribe, you can set an area for how big you want it. You can set it one to 15 miles but if something occurs in that area, you'll get notified," said Page.
You can check and see if your area uses CodeRed alerts or you can get alerts for areas where your loved ones live.