On February 2^nd, when a gunman was on the loose, a Code Red Alert was issued for a specific area in the city of Bemidji. The gunman was captured, and the Code Red Alert was called a success. That success got the attention of E.C.N., the company that provides the CodeRED Alert System that recently awarded Beltrami County for its successful use of the system.

The CodeRED Alert System was installed shortly after the summer storms of 2012 at the Beltrami County Law Enforcement Center. Since then the CodeRED Alert System is used on average about 10 time a year.

The alert system is used for a variety of different events ranging from bad weather to a security threat.

The CodeRED Alert System streamlines the process, simply by writing an alert that is less then 160 characters long, drawing on a map and selecting the area that has the most impact. The program then automates phone calls, text messages, and emails to all those who are signed up in the selected area.

Only half of Beltrami Counties population is currently signed up for the code red alert system. If you would like to sign up please click here: https://public.coderedweb.com/cne/en-US/6FAEC3D0EBD7

By — Josh Peterson

News Reporter in Bemidji | jpeterson@lptv.org