The Mancos Marshal's Office would like for citizens to know that we are going to be utilizing a new communications service, effective March 1, 2013, that allows us to send important, valuable community information directly to residents using the latest technology. The "Nixle Community Information Service" will allow us to create and publish messages to be delivered to subscribed residents instantly via cell phone text message and/or e-mail. Notifications can also be accessed online at Nixle's web site at www.nixle.com.

I want to stress that this is a free service to residents. There is no cost to the public and no cost to the Marshal's office, which makes this a great deal for everyone. Messages may include things like a lost child or lost senior citizen, or events going on in town that we feel you may need accurate information about. Examples may be flooding, fires, special events or parades or assist in catching a criminal. This service is secure, reliable and easy to use for our office. The message can be sent specifically to residents registered within a quarter mile radius, giving them the opportunity to receive trustworthy information relevant only to their neighborhood. Residents decide from which local agencies they want to receive information. Subscribers can also choose the way in which alerts are received, whether it is by e-mail, text message, or over the web.

Technology must be utilized by municipal agencies to help connect with the community. Our citizens can and do utilize technology now. They are already online and on-phone with or without us and they want to know what's happening around them. Citizens are inundated with information from a variety of sources of traditional media - the Internet, social networking sites, etc. - but the quantity of information does not correlate to quality of information. We want information and communication with the people we serve to be timely, effective and trusted. The Nixle platform gives us a secure, easy-to-use, and effective system to share relevant information with residents about the neighborhoods where they work, live, and visit.

I am very excited about this program. Nixle enables community-policing outreach in new ways. Building a communications structure can help solve crimes, build safer communities, and promote a positive dialogue and partnership between residents and law enforcement. Nixle builds on the foundations of other public-to-public communication services, such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, but adds a key component - security. When citizens receive information from our agency via Nixle, they know it can be trusted.

Citizens in Mancos are encouraged to register for this free service by going to Nixle.com and providing their address or an intersection near them, a cell phone number and an e-mail address by which to receive notifications from official agencies. Citizens can then choose which messages they receive on which devices. All information provided is secure.