LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — Some residents in Lucas County are no longer receiving crime alerts, after the county's newly-elected sheriff chose not to renew a partnership with the private company sending them.
Sheriff Mike Navarre said he believes Alertizen 911 alerts present a false sense of criminal activity in a neighborhood.
As soon as a 911 call is dispatched, the program sends alerts via text and/or email with the address and type of crime to its members. Alertizen representatives said those members may see something that would help the police catch a criminal.
There are currently nearly 40,000 Lucas County residents who are registered and receiving alerts.
Dave Bonitati, Alertizen's founder, said Alertizen began in 2012 when Former Mayor Mike Bell approved the pilot program and launched it in the Old Orchard neighborhood.
"Soon, other neighborhoods heard about it and wanted it for their neighborhoods, so we re-wrote the program to let anyone in the city of Toledo use our service and monitor areas around their home, their place of business, their parents’ homes, etc. We have people signed up from as far away as Hawaii to monitor their parents’ home," Bonitati said.
Shortly after Toledo, Lucas County signed up under the leadership of Sheriff John Tharp.
The company posted on its Facebook page Thursday that Navarre decided to no longer provide 911 data to them, so anyone living in an area covered by the sheriff's office will no longer receive the alerts.
According to the sheriff, he wasn't aware the county was providing Alertizen with 911 data until they contacted him Thursday requesting to renew the program. Even though the program's free of charge to its members and law enforcement, Navarre declined to renew, because he said the app doesn't let people know if the 911 calls are false alarms. And if the calls are legitimate, the sheriff doesn't want people intervening and possibly being put in harm's way.
On its website, Alertizen advises its members never to try to foil or confront criminal activity.
In 8+ years, Bonitati said not one person has gotten themselves hurt by responding to a 911 alert location themselves.
Although the partnership with Lucas County has ended, the cities within the county that have police departments will continue to receive the alerts at this time.
Navarre said he will continue to provide Lucas County residents with crime alerts through social media.
"It saddens me to see that something that I developed, free of charge, to keep the citizens of Lucas County safe and informed is being deprived to them now where the sheriff has authority," Bonitati said. "Maybe he’ll change his mind when he hears how upset the citizens are because of his decision."
Dave Bonitati's full statement:
Alertizen was started during the Mayor Mike Bell era back in 2012. Alertizen was created in response to an assault that occurred in the Old Orchard neighborhood and the neighbors were all genuinely concerned for their safety. They heard about the assault a week later in the newspaper. They felt a rapist in their neighborhood, someone should have informed them immediately, and not learn about it from the newspaper a week later.
They scheduled an emergency meeting and had an overflow crowd at the library with Councilman Waniewski and the then Chief of Police Mike Navarrre. No one at that meeting could give the citizens any assurance of how to better inform them of crime happening in their neighborhood and how they could remain safe and vigilant.
After reading about that meeting and the fact that no solutions were provided for the citizens’ concerns, I contacted Councilman Waniewski and told him if he could get for me the crime related 911 call data, I would develop a program to send text and email alerts to the Old Orchard neighbors so they could get out of harm’s way and become the eyes of ears of the police.
Mayor Mike Bell approved the pilot program and we launched it in the Old Orchard neighborhood. Soon other neighborhoods heard about it and wanted it for their neighborhoods, so we re-wrote the program to let anyone in the city of Toledo use our service and monitor areas around their home, their place of business, their parents’ homes, etc. We have people signed up from as far away as Hawaii to monitor their parents’ home.
Shortly after Toledo, Lucas County signed up under the leadership of Sheriff Tharp.
And you know what, in 8+ years not one person has “got themselves hurt by responding to a 911 alert location themselves.” That’s because they DON’T do that! People use Alertizen to stay safe! If there’s an alert of person with a gun or knife they get inside and out of harm’s way.
We have a member that babysits in her home. She told us how thankful she is for Alertizen because when she receives an alert that could be a threat to her kids, she quickly gets them into the house and out of potential harm. That’s the purpose of Alertizen! To keep people out of potential harm!
Also, working with Toledo Police, we attend Block Watch meetings and let the citizens know that these are 911 calls from the citizens and not all turn out to be a real crime. Toledo police let the citizens know this with their reports they provide to the citizens every month.
We have had a good relationship with TPD because Chief Kral believes in police transparency. He knows the more information he can provide to the citizens, the better the relationship will be for his officers and the citizen. Fighting crime takes more than the police, it takes the citizens cooperation and TPD is a great example of police and citizens working together.
TPD uses Alertizen to send out alerts for missing children, help us identify and general alerts to keep the citizens informed.
We currently have close to 40,000 citizens in Lucas county registered and receiving alerts from Alertizen. These citizens have signed up without any promotion, all by word of mouth. The citizens love this service. And Alertizen is free to both the government and citizens.
It saddens me to see that something that I developed, free of charge, to keep the citizens of Lucas county safe and informed is being deprived to them now where the Sheriff has authority. Maybe he’ll change his mind when he hears how upset the citizens are because of his decision.
I hope that answers your questions. Let me know if you have anymore.
Thanks,
Dave Bonitati, Founder
Alertizen – The Active Block Watch