The Riley County Police Department has released a new program called VINE.
VINE stands for Victim Information Notification Everyday. The program is a great way for victims and family members to keep track of their offenders. Dennis Butler, Riley County Police Department Director, says this is another way for them to enhance their services to the community. He also talked about how the program works.
“This an automated alert system that sends either texts, phone calls, or emails, depending on the platform a subscriber chooses, about changes in custody status of people who are incarcerated,” Butler said.
Along with this program, Butler also mentioned the “Text to 9-1-1” system they have in place. This is a way to contact the police department by text if you are unable to speak at the time. They have had this system for about a year and he says that it has been a success so far.
“We get about sixty individual text messages per month, and these are 9-1-1 texts. They’re just like regular 9-1-1 contacts, in sometimes they are accidental, but sometimes they are true emergencies and the majority of the ones we receive are from people who are involved in an in progress domestic situation,” he said.
Both systems are ways that the police department is serving the area. You can find out more information on the programs by visiting the Riley County Police Department website.
