DARLINGTON — The City of Darlington Police Department wants more residents to sign their cell phones up for free public safety alerts through Nixle Connect. 

The department has been using the Nixle Connect platform for the past seven years to send text messages and emails to the inboxes of citizens who sign up for the free service. However, the department sees room for improvement.

According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, 95% of Americans have cell phones. When using the Pew Research standard, and considering Darlington’s population, officers feel there should be at least 2,400 cell phones signed up to receive their alerts. However, there are only 1,158 cell phones currently signed up to receive alerts in Darlington. This means several hundred people are missing out on important law enforcement alerts regarding crime, road closures, missing people, natural disasters and much more.

Citizens can sign up for Nixle alerts by simply texting Darlington’s zip code, “53530,” to 888777. They can also opt in by visiting the police department’s website. The service is free. The department urges anyone who lives or works in Darlington to sign up for alerts at their earliest convenience. ​