Reminder to our residents that we are using the Savvy Citizen App to broadcast immediate threats to public safety, keep you informed of incidents as they continue on, road closures, public work projects, community events, etc.

Here is one success story:

Caernarvon Township Police Chief Paul Stolz was off-duty at home on a Saturday, enjoying a televised baseball game when his phone rang. Two inmates from the local youth detention facility (less than a half mile away from residential homes in Caernarvon Township) had escaped and were at large. One of the escapees had a record that included auto theft and assault. Immediately, Chief Stolz sent a notification to residents using Savvy Citizen to make them aware of the situation. “Within 17 minutes of the first call, I coordinated with my on-duty officers and notified residents of the incident using Savvy Citizen, directly from my smartphone, all after 9pm and at home.”

While Caernarvon Township utilizes Savvy Citizen as its main communication tool, residents who received these notifications were sharing them with friends and family via text messages and on social media. The end result was almost a doubling of resident sign ups overnight. Once residents realized the important information that Caernarvon Township sent via Savvy Citizen, they wanted to sign up and receive the information directly.

Although in this case Caernarvon Township utilized Savvy Citizen as an emergency alert system, the service has consistently covered all their communication needs. Since joining the service, they have continuously communicated road closures, community events, public works projects, and even free baseball tickets to residents. “Savvy Citizen has been a success for us. Unlike social media, we control the narrative and can get it out in a timely manner,” says Stolz. “I am happy to share our success story with any community considering Savvy Citizen as their resident communication tool.”