What is DC Police Alert
DC Police Alert enables the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to notify you quickly about crimes in your neighborhood that may affect you, your home or your business.
With DC Police Alert, the MPD can send emergency alerts, notifications and updates to a variety of devices, including a cell phone, landline, and email address.
How Does DC Police Alert Work?
When an incident occurs in your area, the MPD will send you a DC Police Alert message informing you about what has happened and giving you instruction about what to do. Read these messages promptly and follow the instructions.
Please remember, do not take action on your own. Call 911!
What Types of Alerts Will Be Sent?
You will receive alerts with lookouts in reference to robberies, shootings, and critical missing persons with established command posts.
Will the Service Cost Me Anything?
The District of Columbia government does not charge a fee for this service. It’s free! However, your wireless carrier may charge a fee to get messages on your cell phone or wireless device. Contact your carrier to find out how much these messages may cost under your current plan. You can choose to stop getting messages at any time.
What Are You Expected to Do?
When a crime occurs in your community, the sooner police learn about it, the quicker they can respond. Since rapid police response increases the likelihood of a crime being solved with an arrest or the gathering of important evidence in a crime, taking action to report what you know is vital to a case being closed. Most arrests occur within minutes of a crime, not hours after it is reported. If you have actionable information regarding a crime, CALL 911. DO NOT TAKE ACTION ON YOUR OWN!
It is important to note, however, that details of a crime can be difficult to ascertain at first glance. The information can be mis-categorized or a certain element recorded inaccurately in the initial reporting of the crime. In those instances where the first report of a crime contains erroneous information, a follow-up message will be relayed to provide updated details.