Press release from the Allen County Board of Commissioners:
Allen County Government Adds Nixle Network
Information alerts available via text messages, email and web
(September 27, 2010) – The Allen County Public Information Office will utilize a new communications service, effective today, that allows important, valuable community information to be sent directly to residents using the latest technology.
The Nixle Community Information Service allows messages from Allen County government to be delivered to subscriber residents instantly via cell phone text message and/or email. Notifications can also be accessed online at Nixle’s web site at www.nixle.com.
Messages may include information about public safety emergencies, traffic safety implications, large-scale public works projects, County government meeting information, utility outage advisories/boil orders, as well as other relevant safety and community event information.
“We want communications with the people we serve to be timely, effective, and trusted,” according to Mike Green, Public Information Officer. “The Nixle platform gives us a secure, easy-to-use, and cost effective system to share relevant information about Allen County.”
Residents decide from which local agencies they want to receive information. The Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health began using Nixle in August to send out important public health information.
The messages can be sent specifically to residents registered within a ¼ mile radius, giving them the opportunity to receive trustworthy information relevant only to their neighborhood. Subscribers can also choose the way in which alerts are received – whether it is by email, text message, or over the web. There is NO spam and no hidden cost. Standard text messaging rates do apply.
Nixle builds on the foundations of other public-to-public communication services, but adds a key component: security. When citizens receive  information from Allen County government via Nixle, they know it can be trusted.
“Nixle is a first-of-its-kind tool for communities that need to provide critical information to their residents,” said Craig Mitnick, Founder and CEO. “In today’s world, you have to trust the source of your information. Residents of Allen County can rest easy that the local messages they receive are authentic.”
Residents of Allen County and those in neighboring communities can immediately begin receiving pertinent information via text message, email, and web by registering at www.nixle.com.
About Nixle
Nixle is a community information service provider built exclusively to provide secure and reliable communications. It is the first authenticated and secure service that connects municipal agencies and community organizations 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.