Delayed Nixle Alert About Police Incident In Hoboken Riles Some Residents

HOBOKEN, NJ — Several Hoboken residents complained on Monday that an emergency alert system for Hoboken was not activated until over an hour after the Stevens Institute of Technology asked students to "shelter in place" because of a possible man at large with a weapon.

Public Safety Director Kenneth Ferrante said on Monday that he received several complaints that morning, and had responded. He stressed that no one was ever in danger due to the delay.

On Monday morning, the Stevens Institute, a university located near the Hoboken waterfront, issued an alert at 9:03 a.m. telling their community to shelter in place because of police activity at Fifth and Hudson streets, alongside the western border of their campus.

(The Hoboken police later said a local man had gotten into a dispute with a construction crew and allegedly displayed a rifle.)

The Hoboken police Tweeted at 8:57 a.m. for Hoboken residents to avoid the area around Fifth and Hudson streets.

By that time, the block had been cordoned off with police tape, as well as the block behind it on Court Street. Traffic was detoured around that location.

The city of Hoboken then Tweeted at 9:40 a.m. with more information, stating:

But the city's emergency alert system, for which residents sign up to receive alerts, did not issue the same announcement until 10:10 a.m.

The administration of Mayor Ravi Bhalla has been criticized in the past for its use of Nixle, with residents saying it touts administration initiatives and has been used to criticize political opponents.

One resident sued earlier this year to get the names of those who signed up, saying that the city had used the system to "control the narrative about Hoboken issues," and that if that's the case, it's only fair for other people to have the email list.

And in 2019, some council members blasted Nixles that went out two days in a row, including one in which Bhalla criticized five council members for their ordinance to eliminate a position in his office, which they said was a cost-cutting measure. A Jan. 10, 2019 Nixle said, "The City Council Members took an oath of office to be lawmakers, not lawbreakers ... To be clear, this ordinance was nothing more than a petty attempt to weaken the office of the Mayor."

Often, the system is used to announce street closures or new park initiatives, or to give updates about COVID or Monkeypox clinics.

It has also announced flood warnings and storm preparation information.

It also has been used for less urgent matters. On May 9, a man was found dead at Church Square Park, and law enforcement officials began setting up a tarp as kids and parents walked to several nearby schools. The Police Department said it received calls of concern. The city did not release a Nixle alert about the situation. Later, they released an alert notifying residents about a survey to rename the "Sinatra Idol" contest and about recreational activities.

Nixle, as the city notes on its website, can give advisories of community activities and alerts on emergency matters.

Complains On Monday

Some residents complained on social media on Monday morning about the lack of a timely Nixle alert, considering the Stevens alert was an hour earlier and people saw police activity.

"If nixle alerts can go out every time it rains then there’s absolutely no reason an alert shouldn’t have been sent out for this," wrote one resident on Twitter. "This was during peak commuting time."

Ferrante said Monday that he had received complaints from residents fearing they may have been in danger because they hadn't received an alert earlier on Monday morning.

But he stressed that he knew enough about the situation to know that no one was in danger at the time.

However, he noted that the city and emergency services will review how the alerts are handled in the future.

He said that Tweets shared by the city and the Police Department early on reached tens of thousands of people that morning, and that the department's focus was dealing with the situation.

Ferrante sent this response to concerned residents:

Letter From Hoboken Public Safety Director

First, I can assure you that you were not at risk. You will see details out later today by Hoboken PD once the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office releases the scene back to Hoboken. No one was injured in the incident.

There was an initial call of a man displaying a weapon outside his home. Once Hoboken PD verified that they put out the Tweet and the block of concern was cordoned off for no one to walk down. The incident happened directly across the street from Stevens University property so the Hoboken PD contacted them. Stevens has national college/university guidelines they need to follow and locked down everything on their campus. At no time was there an active shooter, or a man on the loose with a gun. The Hoboken PD had the 500 Block of Hudson shut down to traffic and pedestrians. You will see when the Police Department does their press release, there was no danger to the public once PD was on scene.

However, the PD needed to fully investigate to ensure the matter was not a more dangerous scene. You will see more updates with information that I cannot release at this time due to the investigation.

The daycare, a couple blocks away, was never in any danger, whatsoever.

As far as communications, those that handle communications for the city, the PD and I all have been talking this morning. We always strive to improve how communications goes out to the community. Sometimes, staffing, timing and IT all play a role in how much goes out to the public and in what way.

There was public communication within minutes to avoid that area. A Nixle simultaneously with the city’s and police department’s social media alerts would have been optimal but due to dynamics out of our control and other city business going on at city hall that doesn’t stop during a public safety event somewhere in the City. Also, due to police on scene at that location, the Nixle would have just served as notice to avoid the area due to streets being shutdown, because the block was secured properly, keeping it safe from anyone entering the area.

That being said, we will definitely assess this situation like we always do, to provide better communications and service next time. I greatly appreciate you emailing me because I am always about reassessment and improving what we do.

I can’t share more right now, until the Prosecutor’s Office gives the authority to the Police Dept to put their press release out with the details, possibly later today.

Have a safe day and feel free to email me in the future if you have any questions or concerns.

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