Wisconsin's attorney general unveiled a new safety initiative that partners police with local businesses and residents to help report and solve crimes.
J.B. Van Hollen stopped in Green Bay on Tuesday, one of several cities on a statewide tour to talk about the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network.
It allows police to issue alerts by email, text message, or fax to subscribers about thefts, missing people, counterfeit money, home invasions, and other crimes.
The Crime Alert Network also allows officers to quickly alert a target audience -- say, pharmacies or convenience stores about robberies or someone passing fake bills -- or they can reach out to multiple counties or the entire state.
"Fortunately, we had some good support in the Legislature, the law enforcement community, and certainly in the business community to help us get this off the ground. And even though it's been four years, finally we have it up and running today and we have a couple of successes already in the State of Wisconsin with our Crime Alert Network," the attorney general said.
Subscribing to the Crime Alert Network costs $12 a year. "What that enables us to do is run a crime prevention and crime-solving program that costs the taxpayers nothing," Van Hollen said.
For details about the Crime Alert Network or to sign up, click here.
