Champagne says popular e-mail alerts have led to arrests
When a serious crime or unusual incident occurs in St. Charles Parish, thousands of residents know about it in a matter of minutes because of Sheriff Greg Champagne’s e-mail alert system. But what many residents don’t know is that Champagne pays for the service out of his own pocket.
“I pay for the site personally since I occasionally use it to promote a few political events, such as my annual golf tournament and senior citizen luncheon,” he said.
But that yearly cost of $1,000 is well worth it to Champagne, because not only do his updates help inform the community, but they have actually led to arrests.
“There have been cases in the past where people, as a result of our e-mails, have assisted us in catching and identifying perpetrators of crimes such as burglary or suspicious activity,” he said. “I try to put out messages that will warn people of something happening so that they can do two things – first, protect themselves and their property, and second, to alert them to be on the lookout so that they can help us spot suspects or illegal activity.”
Champagne actually came up with the idea to start e-mail alerts in 2003 and began working with a service provider. While the system worked well for a few months, recurring technical difficulties left him frustrated and the service was ended.
“It was actually Katrina that motivated me to get the system up and running again as I realized the need for quick, direct communication with citizens,” Champagne said.
“I got with the provider again in 2006 and wanted to do it full speed. They had improved the program and I got going again that year and have not looked back.”
Before 2006, Champagne said that devices such as Blackberries were not as common as they are today. But now, almost everyone has some kind of cell phone that can receive e-mail. Because of that increased accessibility, several thousand residents have subscribed over the past three years to receive e-mail alerts from Champagne.
“And more people register every time I send out a message,” he said. “I get regular calls from sheriffs around the country now wanting information on my system.”
Last year, Champagne said the alerts were a big hit during the Hurricane Gustav evacuation because he sent out an update at least once a day, which kept residents informed of what was going on back home. In fact, the only complaint Champagne got was that people wanted even more updates while evacuated.
However, Champagne doesn’t want to overload people with messages – especially those who might not be interested in a specific alert.
“My next goal is to get my system modified where I can more specifically target messages based upon neighborhoods,” he said. “For example, people in one end of the parish may not be interested in a couple of thefts that occur in a neighborhood on the other end of the parish.”
But even without that future change, Champagne has gotten plenty of positive feedback about the system.
“I get regular messages in reply from citizens about the alerts or other matters,” he said. “It is a good way to quickly and conveniently stay in touch with people.
“I believe that this e-mail alert system is effective.”
And while the system has led to arrests and a more informed public, it may also cause Champagne to get in front of a camera.
“Another friendly comment I get from people is that it is time to update my picture since the one used is a few years old,” he said. “I agree.”
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