Police Department
Hopewell Valley Emergency Notification System
The Hopewell Township Department has the ability to make a phone notification to all residents of Hopewell Valley in the event of an emergency in the area.
This system utilizes a number of computers connected to multiple phone lines which access a database of listed phone numbers. The listed numbers are very rapidly called and a recording detailing the specific emergency message is played when the phone is answered. If the alerting system computer receives no answer or a busy signal, the number is automatically called a second time after 10 minutes.
The system is updated monthly with all phone numbers in Hopewell Valley.
This system is for emergency use only and all phone numbers are kept confidential. The system involves GIS mapping technology that enables the police department to contact the entire Valley or selected areas. Officers have the capability of instantly mapping out a particular area to be called specific to an emergency.
In the event of a large-scale emergency affecting the area, an approaching severe weather system for example, the department may wish to activate the system for the entire Valley with a warning message. However if there were a smaller scale incident, perhaps a lost child, officers can actually draw, on a computerized mapping system, a selected area to be called with emergency instructions. Key police personnel are the only people able to activate this system.
Unfortunately, telephone devices designed to block incoming recorded phone calls will also intercept these recorded messages.