Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez joined Miami-Dade County Commission Vice-Chairman Jose "Pepe" Diaz and Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) Director Robert Parker on Jan. 21, 2009 to announce the launch of the Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts program.
The program, named in honor of an 11-year-old hit-and-run victim, is intended to notify the community of current public safety events in which community assistance is being sought.
Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts can instantaneously inform the community regarding local issues of public concern. Some of these events might include:
No personal information such as name, address or Social Security number is required; just a cell phone number, text pager number and/or e-mail address.
Stay informed and register today!
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. How is the Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts system different from the Miami-Dade Alerts system?
Miami-Dade Alerts is used to issue text messages and e-mails to the public to notify them when a major emergency affects all of Miami-Dade County. These emergencies can include hurricane watches and warnings, tornado warnings, a terrorist attack, flood warnings, etc. Miami-Dade Alerts is managed by the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (DEM&HS).
Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts is a part of the Miami-Dade Alerts system and is managed by the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD). Unlike Miami-Dade Alerts, Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts is used to notify the public about local law enforcement issues such as crimes, major road closures, child abductions, "Be On the Lookout" information, etc.
When you sign up for Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts, your contact information automatically is registered to also receive Miami-Dade Alerts.
2. How can I sign up for Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts?
On the upper right corner of this screen under "Miami-Dade Alerts," click on "Subscribe now" and a registration screen will appear. Near the top of that screen, click the box next to the text that says, "Click to recieve Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts." In the boxes below, type your cell phone number, e-mail address and/or text pager number where indicated. On the registration screen you can also identify what area you reside in and whether you would like to receive alerts only during certain times of the day. However, this information is OPTIONAL and only contact information is required to register for the alerts. When you are done, click "Submit" at the bottom of the screen and you're done!
You can also send a text message from your cell phone to "69310" with keywords "Public Safety" to register your cell phone for Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts.
3. Are Miami-Dade Alerts and Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts free?
It depends on your wireless plan. If you have text messages included in your plan, then it won’t cost you anything to receive these alerts. If text messages are not included in your plan, then standard text message fees may apply. Contact your wireless carrier if you are not sure.
Miami-Dade Alerts and Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts also send alerts to your e-mail address. Receiving e-mail doesn’t cost you anything.
4. If I am already signed up for Miami-Dade Alerts, how can I sign up for Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts?
Existing Miami-Dade Alerts subscribers can simply send a text message from their cell phone to "69310" with keywords "Public Safety" to register their cell phone for Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts.
To register an e-mail address, you will need to re-submit that e-mail address on the Miami-Dade Alerts registration page (See FAQ No. 2 above) and click on the box near the top of the registration page that says, "Click to recieve Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts." Once you submit the address, please call the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (DEM&HS) at 305-468-5451 and let them know that your e-mail address has been registered more than once in the Miami-Dade Alerts system. The DEM&HS representative will remove any duplicate e-mail addresses in the system.
5. Who can I call if I have any questions about Miami-Dade Alerts and/or Ashley Nicole Valdes Public Safety Alerts?
Please feel free to contact the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (DEM&HS) at 305-468-5451 or at eoc@miamidade.gov if you have any questions or comments about these systems.
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to the County's pilot program to receive text alerts to cell phones or other mobile devices about significant emergency events.
