WALHALLA, S.C. (Fox Carolina)- The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office announced new upgrades for the Digital Siren technology installed in Uniform Patrol and Pro-Active Criminal Enforcement (P.A.C.E.) team vehicles at the Sheriff’s Office.
In 2019, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office became the first law enforcement agency in the world to implement Pursuit Alert, which was renamed Digital Siren in 2021.
The new technology automatically activates the alert system which eliminates another button for a deputy to push while in pursuit, according to the announcement.
Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said, “We continue to be proactive when it comes to technology that can increase the safety and welfare of our citizens and those that visit Oconee County. Unfortunately, police pursuits are part of our enforcement duties and sometimes are needed in order to prevent further crimes from being committed or to arrest someone who is a danger to community. That is why we were the first law enforcement agency in the world to implement what was then known as Pursuit Alert. With improvements in the technology, Digital Siren now has more capabilities that help to further mitigate the possibilities of harm to our citizens and those traveling inside of Oconee County.”
Digital Siren users who are driving within 60 to 90 seconds of a pursuit in Oconee County will receive a verbal notification stating that a pursuit is in their vicinity, the announcement said.
Sheriff Crenshaw said, “The technology will only save lives if our citizens download the app to their phones, which is a free download. Also, if you are traveling to another part of the country, and law enforcement agencies in that locale also employ Digital Siren, then you can be alerted in those areas too if a police pursuit is nearby where you are. I encourage everyone to download Digital Siren as it is a tool that can help to keep you safe as your travel.”
According the the announcement, Sheriff Crenshaw says that additional features have been added to the Digital Siren technology which will continue to goal of keeping citizens and travelers safe and to alert them to potential dangers. Alerts can be sent out from the E-911 Communications Center for an Active Attack, an impaired driver or a driver driving the wrong way, for severe weather, a road closure, a missing person or any custom alert from dispatch, such as a search for an active suspect.
Besides being notified of police pursuits, Digital Siren users can also be alerted to approaching emergency vehicles unrelated to a pursuit, or an alert to slow down and move over due to a driver approaching emergency vehicles, the Sheriff’s Office shared.
Sheriff Crenshaw said, “Users of Digital Siren can also set the time that they wish for the app to go silent once they are stationary in their homes so an alert does not go off while they are asleep. Once again, the app is free to download and I encourage everyone to download Digital Siren. There are some great features that have been added and more features are yet to come.”
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