Kingston Police deploy Alertable system as public safety tool

Thanks to a new web-based app, public safety and security announcements from the Kingston Police Force (KPF) are now instantaneously available.

At the Thursday, May 15, 2025, meeting of the Kingston Police Services Board (KPSB), Constable Anthony Colangeli, Kingston Police Media Relations/Urban Foot Patrol Officer, spoke to the board regarding the recent launch of the Alertable App locally. Colangeli told KPSB that the Kingston Police are now using Alertable to send emergency alerts and daily community notices for facilities, roads, parks, schools, various municipal services, pandemics, fires, floods, severe weather, and other hazards.

Alertable is a product developed by PEASI, which Colangeli described as a Calgary-based Canadian mass notification software company. It is used to publish emergencies and day-to-day public notices like closures, restrictions, and hazards in advance. 

“It essentially allows us to send out a notification in real time as the event unfolds,” he said, comparing the app's services to the provincial Amber Alert system.

“It's completely free for citizens to subscribe. And once you've subscribed, you can choose how you wish to receive an alert – via text message, by email, through a notification of the app, and through a phone call.” 

Colangeli pointed out that the options make the app more accessible to those who are deaf or blind. “Unlike the provincial system," which he said, "kind of blows up your phone," you can customize Alertable to your preferred method of communication.

Colangeli noted the service can be used for all types of emergencies, including missing persons and road closures. 

“[KPF] would send out an alert saying 'there's an ongoing incident in this area, please be advised,' and the alert might have instructions. It would have a little bit of information as to what is going on, as much as we can share… and we can update the alert if the situation evolves,” he explained.

Colangeli noted that the KPF has been doing its best to share information on social media until now, but people may not get those alerts in real time. 

“This allows us to send things in real time,” he said, underscoring the importance of real-time communications when people need to know about a safety and security situation.

Colangeli gave the example of the attacks in Nova Scotia when, on April 18 and 19, 2020, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman committed multiple shootings and set fires at 16 locations in that province, killing 22 people and injuring three others before he was shot and killed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). At that time, the “RCMP came under a little bit of scrutiny” for their inability to communicate the danger in real time, he explained.

“So, this allows us to communicate and give real-time updates. It is multilingual, so it will translate to whatever language is preferred by the subscriber, which is great because it broadens the demographic that is going to be using it, and it doesn't exclude anyone,” Colangeli shared.

Importantly, police can choose a geolocation with Alertable, he explained, so that not everyone in the coverage area has to receive the message unless it is needed. 

Alertable also allows police to “triage the alert” levels by colour. For example, a green alert might invite people to the Kingston Police Fun Fair, whereas a red alert might indicate that a dangerous situation is unfolding. A mid-level orange or yellow alert might ask citizens to avoid the area of a traffic collision.

Another interesting feature Colangeli pointed out is that if a user travels to another location, they can use Alertable to inform them of emergencies outside of Kingston.

“You can see alerts across the country,” he said, noting that multiple agencies, including fire departments, paramedics, or hydro/utility companies, can use Alertable, sharing the cost while also making a streamlined system of alerts.

Colangeli said that one common theme the KPF heard through focus groups while designing their strategic plan was that police should “be more focused and effective in community engagement and relationship building,” and that Alertable would be a step toward reaching more people and increasing “transparency and accountability.”

“We are keeping folks up to date as to what's going on in the community and what we're doing,” he said.

“This is helping us to protect the safety of everyone in the community by providing real time updates.” 

Colangeli noted that the system meets the KPF strategic plan requirements for inspiring public confidence and increased safety, “demonstrated through trusting relationships with partner agencies and a diverse members community [making them] feel safer and more satisfied with the Kingston Police.”

“We are increasing connectedness. We're ensuring that essential needs are met by informing our citizens about what's happening in real time,” he said.

KPSB member and City Councillor Greg Ridge thanked Colangeli for the presentation, commenting, “This is fantastic. I really like the accessibility options; that's something that I have heard in commentary for communication strategies in the past.”

However, he wanted to know more about how KPF would promote the app's use.

Colangeli said, “Alertable has provided us with a complete marketing package,” which includes social media releases. More than a thousand people had already signed up on the first day of their promotion, he said.

This prompted the constable to explain that one doesn't need the app or even a cell phone to receive alerts from Alertable. 

“You can go to the website and then sign up via your email or your [phone number]. Some people choose the app just because it's easier,” he said.

“Another great feature is that folks who maybe aren't living in Kingston can sign up for it,” he added, explaining that those who have a child going to school in Kingston or an elderly relative in the city can use Alertable to notify them about goings-on and “keep tabs on their situation.”

KPSB member Gail McAllister asked if there were any concerns with people getting an alert about an incident and then actually going to “locations that they've been encouraged not to go into.”

Colangeli agreed that this was always a concern, saying, “[Whenever we say] please avoid the area, you're obviously going to have some folks move to the area for some form of entertainment.” But there was no specific data to suggest that Alertable would increase that activity, he said.

KPF encourages residents and visitors to use Alertable to stay aware and plan ahead by checking for closures, restrictions, and hazards in advance.

For more information on how to sign up, visit https://www.kingstonpolice.ca/alertable.