System disappoints; group chooses online alternative

By ADRIENNE BISH

TheNewsOutlet.org

The City Watch System emergency-notification program for Youngstown residents is so disappointing to one block-watch group, they are using another system they found online.

“The constant replaying of messages was very aggravating for our members. Some of them didn’t want to be a part of the group anymore,” said Francine Jeffries, president of Newport Neighborhood Association.

Emergency-notification systems allow a series of phone numbers from a select group, such as a neighborhood, to be programmed into a computer and automatically dialed in the event of an emergency.

Jeffries and others were frustrated by problems with the City Watch System, including multiple calls to a single home. The system was purchased by the city in 1997 for $22,000. Block-watch leaders as well as city police officials said it never worked properly.

The company that sold the city the system, Avtex Systems, has said that the system needs to be updated.

The Newport Neighborhood Association is trying a new system, One Call Now. Martin Luther Lutheran Church is covering the group’s monthly cost. The group will fulfill its one-year contract with One Call Now before considering whether to go back to City Watch System — if it is repaired.

Officer Ed Colon said that the Youngstown Police Department is in the process of purchasing an upgrade for the outdated system. It should be online in a few weeks at a cost of $11,600.

“Once we were informed that we needed to upgrade the system in order to fix the problems, we took the steps needed to get the upgrade,” said Colon.

Colon was aware that a group decided to purchase its own system.

“If block watches want to buy their own system, I understand their frustration,” said Colon.

The NewsOutlet is a joint media venture by student and professional journalists and is a collaboration of Youngstown State University, WYSU radio and The Vindicator.