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Youngstown block watch spurns emergency notification system
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The City Watch System emergency-notification program for Youngstown residents is so disappointing to one block-watch group, they are using another system they found online.
“The constant replaying of messages was very aggravating for our members. Some of them didn’t want to be a part of the group anymore,” said Francine Jeffries, president of Newport Neighborhood Association.
Emergency-notification systems allow a series of phone numbers from a select group, such as a neighborhood, to be programmed into a computer and automatically dialed in the event of an emergency.
Jeffries and others were frustrated by problems with the City Watch System, including multiple calls to a single home. The system was purchased by the city in 1997 for $22,000. Block-watch leaders as well as city police officials said it never worked properly.
The company that sold the city the system, Avtex Systems, has said that the system needs to be updated.
For the complete story, read today's Vindicator or Vindy.com.
Comments
Sure, let's pay more money to update a system that never worked properly in the first place. The city would be foolish to throw hard-earned good money after bad. Nix the old system and look into the one the group found online. Kudos to them for doing so.
You could build and operate this with a VoIP system for nearly the cost of an low-end server and a fractional T1 (and I assume the city has already addressed their telephony needs). Total one-time cost: ~$2000. Why did we spend $22,000 on something that can be done for 1/10th the cost?
mark, it's not quite so easy. You will still need some sort of database or software to calculate who receives the call, provides the message, and has some capability to track the effectiveness of the system. There are numerous companies that do this, and none can do it for $2,000. I assure you that the city does not have people on staff or the budget to handle this problem internally.
daysleeper47 -- Is there a local company with the expertise to provide what the city needs? How much would a new system cost? Do you know anything about the online system the Newport group is using and if it would work citywide? Are there fees inolved with that one? Is it possible for someone already on staff to do the research? If the city doesn't have the money, is it possible to get a grant for a better system from a local foundation or private funding source? Just wondering.