CodeRED Notification Service Now Available in Shakopee

(The following is a news release from the City of Shakopee.)

When an emergency happens, Scott County and City of Shakopee residents can now choose how they hear about it.

Scott County is implementing CodeRED, an emergency mass notification system that allows residents to receive emergency, weather and public information alerts directly to their phone or computer. The service is available to anyone living or working in Scott County.

CodeRED is a high-speed telephone notification system that allows public safety agencies to deliver a pre-recorded message to a targeted area of the county or city. When signing up, residents and businesses can select how they would like to receive those messages – by landline phone, cell phone, text message or email.

All citizens will receive emergency notifications about situations that directly affect them. Information may include missing children or at-risk adults, evacuation notices or other potential public safety risks.

Residents can also opt in to receive weather alerts and general notifications. The City of Shakopee is developing plans for using CodeRED to share public information, such as road construction projects and utility outages, with those who opt in.

"One of the advantages of CodeRED is that it can be targeted to individual neighborhoods,” said Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate. “Residents can receive timely messages on public safety situations that are most likely to affect them in their city, neighborhood or even street."

CodeRED will attempt to deliver the message to each registered phone number up to three times. Each message will include the scope of the emergency, affected areas, action that needs to be taken and directions for obtaining more information.

The system expands upon the Shakopee Police Department’s Tip 411 program, which allows the public to text or email anonymous tips to the Police Department and also receive department alerts. Residents should continue using Tip 411 to send anonymous tips by texting the word “spdtips” and the tip information to 847411 (tip411).

To sign up for CodeRED, visit the city’s website at www.ci.shakopee.mn.us and click on the CodeRED logo. Most landlines are automatically enrolled to receive emergency and general notifications, but individuals and businesses are encouraged to sign up their mobile and VoIP numbers, as well. To opt out of emergency notifications, residents with landline phones must request their number be added to a “Do Not Call” list by calling Scott County Emergency Management at (952) 496-8381.