Nixle Provides Secure, Instant Communications Network for Silver Alerts

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Nixle, a community information service, offers law enforcement agencies the only secure, real-time, hyper-local communications technology to issue Silver Alerts—public notifications specific to locating missing seniors with Alzheimer's, dementia and other mental disabilities. Used by law enforcement in 24 states, Silver Alerts drive community search and rescue efforts. Nixle distribution of Silver Alerts is free to all law enforcement agencies.

"We applaud law enforcement's growing use of Silver Alerts to locate Alzheimer's patients. With over five million Americans living with the disease, and more than half likely to wander from homes or health care facilities, public awareness and recovery efforts are critical in the first 24 hours," stated Craig Mitnick, Nixle CEO and founder. "Through Nixle's strategic partnership with Nlets, The International Justice and Public Safety Network, law enforcement Silver Alerts are safeguarded and all messages to residents are geographically targeted, authentic, timely and actionable. Typically Silver Alerts are broadcasted via local media and roadway signage. We deliver the alert and related updates within seconds directly to the public, the way they want it—on their cell phone by text message, to their inbox or online. Our service greatly improves the speed at which law enforcement notifies communities of these incidents, important to bringing missing adults home safe and sound."

Nixle enables law enforcement to direct instant hyper-local Silver Alerts with photos of the missing to a broad or narrow radius of residents in proximity to the incident. Nlets provides the secure national law enforcement infrastructure and uncompromised network that allows Nixle to safely deliver these alerts. Nlets also facilitates electronic messaging among state, local, and federal agencies—which can provide crucial additional help in the event the search goes beyond the missing person's immediate community.

"Working with Nixle as a strategic partner to provide essential community alerts over our secure network is something that Nlets is pleased to do—specifically, with the Silver Alerts project to protect our parents and grandparents, we are proud to play this role," says Steven Correll, Nlets Executive Director.

When used to distribute Silver Alerts, Nixle has yielded numerous positive outcomes. Most recently, Nixle's service was deemed essential in the search and rescue of an 84 year old Alzheimer's patient in Denton, Fla. The local police department issued a Silver Alert through Nixle to residents in the immediate vicinity. A neighbor and Nixle subscriber received the alert on his phone and by email. Shortly after, he came across the lost adult a few miles from his home and contacted the police. The patient was rescued.

Nixle is also used to distribute Amber Alerts to find missing children and for Blue Alerts, which broadcast information about violent criminals on the run.

To register and learn more about Nixle please visit www.nixle.com.

About Nixle

Nixle is a technology driven company that provides hyper-local information over cell phone, email and web. It is the first authenticated and secure service that connects public safety, health, and government agencies to residents in real time, delivering information to geographically targeted consumers over their cell phones (via text messages), through e-mails and via Web access. Nixle has secured a partnership with Nlets (the International Justice and Public Safety Network), allowing local police departments nationwide to send immediate alerts and advisories. Privately funded Nixle, which has offices in New Jersey and California, is free to all governments, their agencies and organizations, nongovernmental organizations and consumers. For more information, visit www.nixle.com.

About Nlets

Nlets is the premiere interstate justice and public safety network in the nation for the exchange of law enforcement-, criminal justice-, and public safety-related information. Nlets, which is owned by the States, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which was created by principal law enforcement agencies of the states 40 years ago. The user population is composed of all of the states/territories, all Federal agencies with a justice component, and selected international agencies, all cooperatively exchanging data. The types of data being exchanged vary from motor vehicle and drivers' data, Canadian "Hot File" records, and INS databases to state criminal history records. Over 90 million messages are transacted each month.

The mission of Nlets is to provide, within a secure environment, an international justice telecommunications capability and information services that will benefit to the highest degree, the safety, the security, and the preservation of human life and the protection of property. Nlets will assist those national and international government agencies and other organizations with similar missions that enforce or aid in enforcing local, state, or international laws or ordinances.

SOURCE Nixle