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To sign up for alerts, text “Oglethorpe” to 99411 and create an account. You can also visit the sheriff’s webpage to create an online account. The sheriff’s webpage instructs residents to text 994111, instead of 99411. The latter number is correct. (Graphic/ Katie Tucker)
An alert was sent to residents of Oglethorpe County who lived within a mile radius of a recent home invasion in Winterville. The alert, created by the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Department, reached some residents but missed others.
When the sheriff’s department posted about the incident on its Facebook page, some residents commented they hadn’t received the alert.
Others asked how to sign up for notifications.
Notifications are sent out by the county’s first responders through CodeRed, a mobile alert app. The app must be downloaded or, for those who don’t have a smart device, an account must be made online, in order to start receiving alerts.
Both methods require initial connection to internet service, said James Jackson, the county’s E-911 director.
“When you sign up … you can do home phone service, so that way you don't necessarily have to have internet,” he said.
Jackson said app users can select which alerts they would like to receive. Alerts can include road blockages, traffic accidents and severe weather in the area.
When sending out each alert, Jackson said first responders, such as the sheriff’s department and 911 coordinator, have the ability to set a radius within which people with the app will be notified.
Although Jackson is unsure how many residents have signed up for notifications, the most recent alert reached 171 people.
He emphasized that alerts are most effective when residents sign up to receive them.