AM 1180 Chattooga County Radio spoke with Mike Watkins of the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Department on Friday afternoon about a new notification system that is being launched in Chattooga County to help keep residents informed in case of an emergency such as the recent flood. In the next few days, the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office will launch a new Community Notification Service called “Nixle” to improve communication with people who live, work, and visit our area. The system provides a quick, efficient, and secure way to get neighborhood level information out to community members who subscribe to the system. Through www.nixle.com, the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office will be able to send text message (SMS), web and e-mail alerts to subscribers in a specific area, even down to .25 miles. The system could be used in a wide variety of situations such as a missing child, a prison break or even an accident that might shut down a roadway in Chattooga County. Through Nixle, the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Department will be able to deliver messages securely to citizens by web, e-mail and cell phone text message, supporting and greatly expanding our community outreach efforts. Nixle is a secure communications service available to municipal, county, and state government agencies. There is NO spam or advertising associated with Nixle messages. The system is totally free (standard text message rates apply for subscribers who do not have text plans with their cell phone providers). Deputy Watkins said that the more people who sign up for the service the better it will work.  Simply go to www.nixle.com and register.