City of Baltimore - File #: 09-0118R

• File #: 09-0118R
• Version: 0
• Name: Investigative Hearing - Crime Alerts - Citywide Text Messaging
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Adopted
• File created: 3/16/2009
• In control: Public Safety and Health Committee
• Final action: 8/10/2009
• Title: Investigative Hearing - Crime Alerts - Citywide Text Messaging FOR the purpose of requesting the Commissioner of Police to investigate the efficacy of instituting a citywide text messaging system to alert residents about criminal activity in a timely manner and to determine what crimes should be included in a citywide alert.
• Sponsors: Stephanie President Rawlings-Blake, Sharon Green Middleton, Bill Henry, Mary Pat Clarke, Nicholas C. D'Adamo, James B. Kraft, William H. Cole, IV, President Young, Edward Reisinger, Agnes Welch, Robert Curran, Belinda Conaway, Warren Branch
• Indexes: Resolution, Text Messaging

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
8/10/2009	0	Public Safety and Health Committee	Recommended Favorably
8/10/2009	0	City Council	Adopted
6/8/2009	0	Public Safety and Health Committee	Scheduled for a Public Hearing
3/23/2009	0	Public Safety and Health Committee	Scheduled for a Public Hearing
3/19/2009	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
3/16/2009	0	City Council	Introduced
3/16/2009	0	City Council	Assigned

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*

CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)

Introduced by: President Rawlings-Blake

A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Investigative Hearing - Crime Alerts - Citywide Text Messaging

FOR the purpose of requesting the Commissioner of Police to investigate the efficacy of instituting a citywide text messaging system to alert residents about criminal activity in a timely manner and to determine what crimes should be included in a citywide alert.
Body
Recitals

In April 2008, federal regulators, acknowledging that text messages have exploded in popularity particularly among young people, approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency alert system using text messages delivered to cell phones. CTIA, the trade group for the wireless industry, informed federal officials that it is estimated that 48 billion text messages are sent each month.

The federal plan stems from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires upgrades to the emergency alert system. The Act requires the Federal Communications Commission to develop ways to alert the public about emergencies.

In November 2008, D.C. Police joined 11 other cities and 5 counties in the region that have text alert notification. While most subdivisions use the systems for traffic and weather alerts, they can be used for mass notifications for emergencies, as in the case of the D.C. Police Alert that offers a short recap of the crime, a description ...