sarahhod
04-02-2009, 06:12 AM
Early-morning alert for missing child draws angry response from some Mayville residents
By Colleen Kottke • The Reporter ckottke@fdlreporter.com • April 2, 2009
MAYVILLE — Early morning phone calls alerting residents about a missing 8-year-old Mayville boy Wednesday morning were no April Fools' Day prank.
Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls said he was surprised by the number of Mayville residents who called the Sheriff's Department to express their displeasure about being awakened by a phone call at 7:30 a.m.
The wave of phone calls that irritated some sleeping residents was generated by the county's newly implemented CodeRed high-speed telephone emergency notification system.
"I was professionally surprised at how many people were aggravated by that call and asked to be removed from the call list," Nehls said. "Many of the callers had no idea that Dodge County had that capability and assumed it was a prank."
Nehls said that a press release was issued to the media just hours after the incident in Mayville.
Notification
Dodge County Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher said the countywide notification system is an important tool in alerting citizens in the event of an impending natural disaster, chemical spill or in the case of a missing child.
"In this case, the child was last seen when he went to bed around 8 p.m. By the time he was discovered missing the next morning at 6:30 a.m., we had no idea how long he had been gone," Meagher said. "The more time that passes in a missing child case, the lower the probability that you will find them in certain circumstances."
During a subsequent sweep of the residence, Mayville Police Officer Kim Mittelstadt and the child's father noticed the boy's jacket, shoes and backpack were missing.
"Minutes after the notification calls went out, we got a call from a person saying the boy may be staying at the home of another child," Mittelstadt said.
In the meantime, Mittelstadt alerted staff members at Mayville Middle School, who then posted personnel at each door of the school to watch for the child.
"We got a call a short time later that the boy and his friend had walked into the school together," Mittelstadt said. "In talking with the boy, we discovered that he had left his house about 4 a.m. and walked seven blocks to his friend's house. I can tell you there were a lot of relieved people."
When seconds count
Mittelstadt said the notification system is one more way that city officials and police can communicate with citizens when seconds count.
"When you can get three-quarters of the residents to look out their windows, they can help cover more ground than the police and fire departments can," Mittelstadt said. "In a small community like Mayville, it's that personal touch that helps us look out for one another."
Meagher said that those opting to be removed from the calling list associated with the notification system can do so by accessing the Dodge County Sheriff's Department Web site at www.co.dodge.wi.us/sheriff/code_red.html (http://www.co.dodge.wi.us/sheriff/code_red.html) and signing a waiver release relieving the county of all liability in the event the caller is impacted by the lack of notification of any event.
"They have to understand that they won't receive a notification in any circumstance," Meagher said. "The CodeRed system will only be used should a significant circumstance arise where lives would be in danger. We would never use it to cry wolf."
Patricia Ninmann, Dodge County Sheriff's Department communications director, cautioned that such systems are only as good as the telephone database supporting them.
"If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called," Ninmann said.
All businesses should register, as well as all those individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the last year, or who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone, Meagher said.
"The CodeRED system is a geographical based notification system, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergency notification calls in any given situation. The system works fine for cell phones, too, but we have to have a street address," Meagher said.
http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20090402/FON0101/904020389/1985/FONent
By Colleen Kottke • The Reporter ckottke@fdlreporter.com • April 2, 2009
MAYVILLE — Early morning phone calls alerting residents about a missing 8-year-old Mayville boy Wednesday morning were no April Fools' Day prank.
Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls said he was surprised by the number of Mayville residents who called the Sheriff's Department to express their displeasure about being awakened by a phone call at 7:30 a.m.
The wave of phone calls that irritated some sleeping residents was generated by the county's newly implemented CodeRed high-speed telephone emergency notification system.
"I was professionally surprised at how many people were aggravated by that call and asked to be removed from the call list," Nehls said. "Many of the callers had no idea that Dodge County had that capability and assumed it was a prank."
Nehls said that a press release was issued to the media just hours after the incident in Mayville.
Notification
Dodge County Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher said the countywide notification system is an important tool in alerting citizens in the event of an impending natural disaster, chemical spill or in the case of a missing child.
"In this case, the child was last seen when he went to bed around 8 p.m. By the time he was discovered missing the next morning at 6:30 a.m., we had no idea how long he had been gone," Meagher said. "The more time that passes in a missing child case, the lower the probability that you will find them in certain circumstances."
During a subsequent sweep of the residence, Mayville Police Officer Kim Mittelstadt and the child's father noticed the boy's jacket, shoes and backpack were missing.
"Minutes after the notification calls went out, we got a call from a person saying the boy may be staying at the home of another child," Mittelstadt said.
In the meantime, Mittelstadt alerted staff members at Mayville Middle School, who then posted personnel at each door of the school to watch for the child.
"We got a call a short time later that the boy and his friend had walked into the school together," Mittelstadt said. "In talking with the boy, we discovered that he had left his house about 4 a.m. and walked seven blocks to his friend's house. I can tell you there were a lot of relieved people."
When seconds count
Mittelstadt said the notification system is one more way that city officials and police can communicate with citizens when seconds count.
"When you can get three-quarters of the residents to look out their windows, they can help cover more ground than the police and fire departments can," Mittelstadt said. "In a small community like Mayville, it's that personal touch that helps us look out for one another."
Meagher said that those opting to be removed from the calling list associated with the notification system can do so by accessing the Dodge County Sheriff's Department Web site at www.co.dodge.wi.us/sheriff/code_red.html (http://www.co.dodge.wi.us/sheriff/code_red.html) and signing a waiver release relieving the county of all liability in the event the caller is impacted by the lack of notification of any event.
"They have to understand that they won't receive a notification in any circumstance," Meagher said. "The CodeRed system will only be used should a significant circumstance arise where lives would be in danger. We would never use it to cry wolf."
Patricia Ninmann, Dodge County Sheriff's Department communications director, cautioned that such systems are only as good as the telephone database supporting them.
"If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called," Ninmann said.
All businesses should register, as well as all those individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the last year, or who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone, Meagher said.
"The CodeRED system is a geographical based notification system, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergency notification calls in any given situation. The system works fine for cell phones, too, but we have to have a street address," Meagher said.
http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20090402/FON0101/904020389/1985/FONent