Western City October 2012

Page 24

New High-Tech Tools Keep Residents Safe, Informed and Engaged, continued

Santa Cruz Focuses on Mobile Apps

months. Live Guide doesn’t take a single officer off the streets because the department is using modified-duty officers who are injured and can’t be out on patrol.

J

O

B

O

P

P

O

Reaching residents can be a challenge for cities because not all residents rely on traditional media like local papers, television or radio news for information. Instead, they increasingly use social media to stay informed, and a growing number use their R T

U

N

I

T

I

E

S

www.bobmurrayassoc.com

Watch for these Upcoming Opportunities: • Yolo County, CA: Chief of Finance, DESS • Chino Valley Independent Fire District, CA: Fire Chief • City of Marina, CA: City Manager • Monterey County, CA: Parks Director For more information and filing deadlines, please contact: Bob Murray and Associates, 1677 Eureka Road, Suite 202, Roseville, CA 95661 Phone: (916) 784-9080, Fax: (916) 784-1985, E-mail: apply@bobmurrayassoc.com

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA Assistant County Administrative Officer & Economic Development Director Beautiful Monterey County, with world-class attractions, spectacular coastline, thriving agriculture, mild weather and outdoor recreation choices, announces top management jobs --

Assistant County Administrative Officer

Serves as the County Administrative Officer’s chief deputy _____________________________________

Economic Development Director

Leads countywide economic and employment development efforts

Salaries Negotiable Depending on Qualifications For more information about Monterey County, the positions, the requirements and the application process visit our website at www.rjamanagement.com. First Review October 22, 2012. Open Until Filled. Apply to:

Dr. Richard Garcia RJA Management Services, Inc. 2719 So. Mayflower Ave., Suite A | Arcadia, CA 91006 | (626) 447-3318 www.rjamanagement.com | Email: rgarcia@rjamanagement.com

22

League of California Cities

smartphones to access news. This proved especially true in Santa Cruz, where in 2009 the city’s use of traditional media failed to adequately inform the public about a sinkhole that blocked the city’s most traveled intersection. A two-mile traffic jam ensued that took six hours to clear. Vowing to develop better channels of communication, the Police Department set out to develop the first consumerfocused law enforcement smartphone application in the United States. Launched in March 2011 and funded by a federal grant, the Santa Cruz Police Department’s innovative iPhone app won a 2011 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence. More than 10,000 people have downloaded the app, and approximately 3,000 have downloaded the Android app that was subsequently developed. These apps provide access to the police scanner feed, interactive crime maps, videos and photos of wanted criminals, a blog and instant public safety alerts. These tools have helped the city solve crimes, locate crime suspects and even find a missing child. “Younger residents expect that this is how their local government will communicate with them and how they will communicate with their local government,” says Zach Friend, Santa Cruz Police Department spokesperson. “We have to provide services this way. This isn’t a luxury. It’s the reality of how we have to communicate.”

Cloverdale Fights Crime With Cal-Photo Thanks to an online statewide criminal database, police officers in the City of Cloverdale can correctly identify suspects and easily show victims a photo lineup. Launched in March 2002, Cal-Photo is a collaboration between the departments of Motor Vehicles and Justice. Users of the system can access mug shots and driver’s license images and data both from the police station and a vehicle outfitted with a laptop and Internet access. According to Technical Services Manager Ann Turek of the Cloverdale Police Department, using Cal-Photo is invaluable. “It speeds up the process of identifying and finding people and also makes it possible to keep officers in the field,” says Turek. www.cacities.org


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.