New York City has broadened its public safety communications by enabling users of the Citizen app to receive real-time notifications regarding local emergencies and ongoing incidents, according to SmartCitiesWorld.
The newly established city-run account, NYC Public Safety, collects alerts and notifications from multiple public safety agencies to deliver updates and incident information to Citizen app users, which include more than three million subscribers across the five boroughs. The app also provides the City with the capability to send geo-targeted push notifications based on neighborhood, zip code, or borough.
The New York City government already disseminates information in several languages on various social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, X, as well as through the City’s NotifyNYC channel aiming to make information broadly accessible.
According to the mayor’s office, this new official account is intended to provide an additional method for residents to access real-time alerts relevant to their location, adding that this project has been implemented at no cost to the municipal government.
Additionally, designated public safety agencies, including the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Fire Department of the City of New York, and New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM), will have secure dashboard access. This allows authorized personnel to view and download videos submitted by users from incident locations, supporting investigations and post-incident reviews. NYPD and NYCEM also maintain accounts on Citizen for sharing alerts with residents.
Reader Interactions