PROVIDENCE – The Providence Police Department has adopted a new Web-based alert system, called CitizenObserver, that will help it quickly notify businesses, citizens and neighborhood watch groups.

The service allows police to enter information about crimes, safety and other incidents and quickly send alerts via e-mail or text message to registered users, city officials said. It also allows users to send tips to the police – anonymously, if desired.

The Citizen Observer system creates four kinds of alerts:

• Case alerts, which allow the police to automatically send information about an open case to all registered users.

• Business alerts, geared to specific categories, that notify establishments of crimes or incidents relevant to their line of work.

• Citizen alerts for city residents, which may include information about crime trends, safety advice, descriptions of suspects or information about missing persons.

• Watch Group alerts, which send targeted alerts to specific groups to tell them of crimes or other incidents in a given neighborhood or neighborhoods.

According to Col. Dean M. Esserman, chief of the Providence Police, one of the greatest benefits of the CitizenObserver system is that it promotes two-way communication between the police and the public.

To sign up for CitizenObserver alerts from the Providence Police Department, visit the company Web site below and click on “sign up for alerts.” To send a tip, text TIP651 – followed by your tip – to CRIMES (274637).

CitizenObserver.com Inc. – a St. Paul, Minn.-based company founded in 2000 – is a provider of Web-based emergency notification services. It is working with more than 300 law enforcement agencies in 30 states to help close cases and make communities safer.