Some residents receive emergency alert during police search in south Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
While the Columbia Police Department searched for a man accused of multiple crimes for 16 hours, the department, along with the office of emergency management released an emergency alert.
The alert was supposed to go out to residents who live in the Old Hawthorne neighborhood, as the suspect, identified as Brandt Feutz was believed to be in the area and was considered armed and dangerous. He was not armed when he was arrested.
The alert notifies people of the suspect, and warns people to shelter in place.
"So what we did today is the police asked us to drop the geofence or the polygon over a certain area where they had information where this individual might have been to warn those people in that specific area," Chris Kelley, of the Boone County Office of Emergency Management, said.
However, not everyone received the alert. Residents told ABC 17 News that some received the notification, while others did not. Kelley said this is because of each individual's phone.
"It's not exactly perfect," Kelley said. "You're gonna hit cell devices with different devices. If you have new technology, your carrier may have a closer tower."
The alert works by creating a shape on a map that sends the notification to anyone within the shape. Kelley also said there is protocol that needs to be met in order to have the alert sent out. This includes:
- Police incidents;
- Active shooters;
- Some extreme weather conditions; and
- When an armed person is on the loose.
