Get instant text and e-mail alerts directly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department — Santa Clarita Valley Station via Nixle.com.

Nixle® is now being used by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to send free geographically-specific e-mails and text messages directly to the public. Messages may include arrests, neighborhood-specific alerts and advisories, traffic incidents, road closures, wanted persons, missing persons, crime trends, and more.

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station launched the new system today. Effective today, press releases from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station will no longer be posted on this website. Those who are signed up to receive the station’s messages via e-mail will be required to sign up for the new Nixle instant notification system if they wish to continue receiving press releases and information relevant to public safety in the Santa Clarita Valley directly from the station.

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“With the Nixle instant notification system, the Sheriff’s Department can communicate accurate, timely, and reliable information directly to the public via your cell phones and email,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. “Nixle is a great success story of a public-private partnership that enhances public safety at no cost to taxpayers,” he added.

Nixle® Alerts: Stay informed and subscribe to up to four types of color-coded alerts (Don’t text and drive. Please only read messages when it is safe to do so):

1. Alert messages (coded red) are used for Amber alerts, kidnapping and other crimes where immediate public assistance is needed.

2. Advisory messages (coded yellow) are used for seeking information on crime suspects and public safety messages.

3. Community messages (coded green) are used to inform residents about safety tips, recent crime trends, and public safety agency special events.

4. Traffic messages (coded blue) are sent to advise of major road closures & collisions.

Nixle® features: that caused Nixle® to become the first formally recognized LASD non-emergent text message end e-mail delivery and communication system, authorized by Sheriff Baca and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors:

* Free – for the public to receive e-mail and text messages and free for the LASD to send them. (Standard text messaging rates apply).

* Authenticated, secure and reliable – Senders must prove they are who they say they are before sending (unlike social networking systems).

* No advertising – no spam, no sharing, and no selling

* No user monitoring – or tracking of user information by Nixle®

* Public subscribers – anyone can opt-in or opt-out to receive messages.

* Geographically-specific messages using address, address with surrounding radius, and zip code to pin-point delivery to requests.

* Subscribe to specific LASD groups such as the “LASD – Headquarters (Newsroom), Emergency Operations Bureau, or specific sheriff’s patrol stations: search “LASD .”

* Nixle® messages contain – up to 10,000 characters of information, maps, and photos such as wanted or missing persons. Text messages will link to the full story.

* The National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS) houses Nixle® servers in their secure facilities and integrates Nixle technology into their network.

* Awarded The Most Innovative Product Award at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in October 2009.

* Nixle senders can auto-populate several social networking sites.

Registration for Nixle® is easy and only takes a few minutes.

a. Visit www.Nixle.com and click on the “residents sign up now” button.

b. You will be asked to provide your name, address (or closest cross street), e-mail address, and cell number. This information is required to receive geographically specific information.

c. More than one location can be registered.

d. You have the option to define what notifications you will receive and from whom.

e. You may opt out of receiving messages from any of the participating agencies.

Crime Stoppers – Although Nixle® doesn’t allow return messages, the public can anonymously communicate with the LASD via “Crime Stoppers.” Call 800-222-TIPS (8477), or text the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), lacrimestoppers.org.

* Alert LA County is the (reverse 9-1-1) Emergency Notification System for direct access to citizens, specifically used for major disasters. It continues to be used as the primary means of community emergency notifications. Alert LA County is designed to deliver brief but targeted

information to every residential telephone in a given geographic area. The reverse 9-1-1 system is only used during major emergencies. Register your phones at www.alert.lacounty.gov for Alert LA County. Nixle® is an additional alert system that can provide updates such as evacuation centers and when people can re-occupy their homes after an evacuation. The public should register for both systems.