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Thanks for the information about phone calls from the sheriff

Thank you, Nancy, for the information regarding the automated phone calls by the sheriff on Sunday. Many residents were wondering how the system worked and why some were called and some not.

I hope someday RMCSD might look into some type of system out here that would advise the residents in an emergency such as a flood on Jackson Highway or a power outage in the community or any situation that we might need to know about. Again, "thank you."

-- Jacque Villa, August 1, 2007

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Are you wondering about those calls from the sheriff's office Sunday?

Are some of you wondering why you did not receive the automated phone alerts on Sunday regarding the manhunt? I placed some calls to Security Chief Greg Remson (CSD) and the Sacramento Sheriff’s office to determine why not all households were included, and here's what I learned:

  • Sac Sheriff initiated the alerts that were sent on Sunday.
  • The “Reverse 911” system that was used to generate the alerts is new.
  • There is a limit to the number of phone numbers that the system can notify in an emergency – 2,000. This limitation exists because each outbound alert requires a phone call, and there are only 52 lines available at a given time to carry these calls.
  • When Sunday’s incident occurred, Sac Sheriff worked quickly to identify the streets closest to the field, and 2,000 phone numbers on these streets received the alert to stay indoors. Security Chief Greg Remson shared that a couple of small streets in this area appear to have been missed, but this is likely due to the fact that Sac Sheriff was working under extreme pressure to identify the key streets in the area, in a short duration.
  • When sending the alerts, Sac Sheriff also contacted the media so that the information about the manhunt was communicated as widely as possible.

Again, many thanks to both Security Chief Greg Remson and Sac Sheriff for their help in demystifying the automated phone alert system. If any of you have further questions, I’d be happy to try and answer them for you.

-- Nancy Clark, August 1, 2007

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