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Crime & Safety

Phone-Alert System Allowed Police to Enlist the Help of Citizens

Morgan Hill police used the AlertSCC system to send automated phone calls to about 77,000 residences and businesses Tuesday, requesting help from the public in spotting a missing car and baby.

, many Morgan Hill and Gilroy residents got the news via an automated phone call from the Morgan Hill police.

The Alert Santa Clara County system (AlertSCC) allows the police to select certain geographic areas to receive automated phone messages, according to police Sgt. Shane Palsgrove.

When the 911 call was placed Tuesday, reporting to the Morgan Hill police that an infant was in the back seat of a stolen car, the police immediately used the system to enlist the public's aid in finding the vehicle.

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"Our emergency services coordinator Jennifer Ponce is the one who gets the credit for this," said Palsgrove. It was Ponce's voice on the message that went out on Tuesday.

Ponce, coordinator for the Office of Emergency Services in Morgan Hill, said she recorded the message and then programmed the system to begin calling 77,000 homes and residences within a few minutes of the 911 call. 

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"It's a computerized phone-dialing system," Ponce said. "It can make about 6,000 calls per minute, and we programmed it to call every home and business within a 10-mile radius of where the incident occurred," she said.

"That means it took about 35 minutes, at the most, for the system to call 77,000 numbers," said Ken Hulick, who volunteers at the Morgan Hill OES for several hours each day and oversaw the volunteers searching for the car.

He reports that there were volunteers at the site, ready to help within three minutes after the system began dialing.

"The AlertSCC system allows us to notify residents any time there's a major event," said Sgt. Palsgrove. "We can circle an area on the map—for example, if there's a mountain lion loose—and then have the system call only the people in that area to tell them to bring their children inside."  

There are three levels of use for the AlertSCC system, Ponce explained.

"The first level, called 'internal' use, calls every city employee. The second level, 411, calls every listed phone number that's accessible to 411 information within a specified region. Unlisted phone numbers aren't called with a 411 alert. The third level, 911, calls every home and residence, even those numbers that are unlisted. We use the 911 level only when there is imminent threat to life."  

Palsgrove said, "The decision to use the system has to go through a chain of command. We are very careful to not overuse this system."

On Tuesday, Ponce programmed the system to dial the 911 level of use. When asked how often Morgan Hill has used the AlertSCC system, Ponce said the police have used the 411 level, but Tuesday was the first time the system made calls on the 911 level of emergency.

"And I hope it's the last time," she said. "When we use this system to include everyone, even unlisted numbers, it means something bad is happening."

Although the system did not lead to Marina's recovery—the baby was found by a hiker who heard the infant crying inside the abandoned car and called the police—Palsgrove said he feels certain that the car would have been spotted if the car thief had stayed nearby. 

"Between the Amber Alert and the AlertSCC calls, a lot of citizens were walking around Morgan Hill looking for that car," Palsgrove said. "Had that vehicle remained in town, I feel confident someone would have reported it. We are very grateful to all the citizens who called us and wanted to help."

Hulick reported that volunteers were sent to watch for the stolen vehicle at specified locations. The volunteers remained in place, reporting in to police, while patrol cars swept through Morgan Hill and the surrounding areas, searching for the vehicle. "The volunteers made sure we knew where the vehicle didn't go," Hulick said.

Was anybody unhappy with the call from AlertSCC? 

"One person called and was angry about receiving the message," said Ponce. "When I called him back and explained the situation, he changed his mind, and felt the call was for a good reason."

Close to a hundred people have called or emailed Ponce and Hulick, praising the Office of Emergency Services for using AlertSCC in the search for baby Marina, according to Ponce. 

"Most of the people who let us know they appreciated the call seemed to be parents," Hulick said. "At the end of the day, the baby's family was really glad the message went out."

Why Register for the Alert SCC System?

People who use more than one phone number—and these days most of us have more than one number—can register all their numbers on the system.

"If you sign up for AlertSCC, you can add cellphone numbers, email and any system that accepts calls or emails," Hulick said.

"In the event of any kind of emergency—earthquake, plane crash, a haz mat (hazardous material) situation, flooding or fire—the system will roll through all your numbers so you get important information as soon as possible," Hulick said.

"Unlisted numbers remain confidential, even if registered with the AlertSCC system," Ponce added.

"The fires in Southern California several years ago convinced Morgan Hill to look into AlertSCC," Hulick said. "When you think about the tens of thousands of people who were evacuated during those fires—effectively moved out of the way of the fires, using this system—we wanted to see if it might work for us."

Morgan Hill was one of the first cities to use AlertSCC in the South Bay. After a trial period, officials in Morgan Hill decided the system would be a pivotal tool in an emergency. Santa Clara County's emergency services department saw the system's advantages and ultimately absorbed the cost of AlertSCC, paying to have it installed in every city in the county.

How to Register?

In Gilroy, Morgan Hill or anywhere in the county, phone numbers and email can be registered by going to the AlertSCC website.

Joe Kline, Gilroy's public information officer, said, "We strongly encourage Gilroy citizens to sign up for AlertSCC. In fact, on the city of Gilroy website, we've got a notice on the home page right now asking citizens to register." 

Kline added, "When we got the call on Tuesday, we also put the information that we received—license number, make of the car, a photo of the infant—on our Facebook page. We're trying to get information to people in as many ways as we can."

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