Aurora residents can sign up for crime alerts

A new e-mail alert system will give Aurora residents and business owners access to the latest local crime news.

Participants can sign up for updates on criminal cases, missing people, wanted fugitives, crime trends and more at www.citizenobserver.com.

The system will help keep police and residents in regular contact, which officials hope will result in more solved cases.

"Not a single crime has ever been solved without information from the public," Aurora Police Chief William Powell said. "This Web site literally gives me thousands of more detectives."

The system cost about $3,500 and went into effect Monday. It was paid for with funds from a federal grant that was targeted for local anti-crime efforts.

Getting information out fast, and to as many people as possible, is particularly crucial in such cases as child abductions or bank robberies, Cmdr. Mike Langston said.

"This is a means to have direct contact by either e-mail or text messages or to a fax machine," he said.

Early response from community and business groups indicates police will get good participation, he said.

To join, go to www.citizenobserver.com, click on "sign up for alerts," and follow the prompts. The signup process takes a few seconds.

News can be tailored to specific neighborhoods and business areas and can include mug shots, security photos and Web links.

"The tool has the potential to become a very important part of our community policing initiatives," Powell said.

About 15 other towns in the Chicago area use the same system, including Glendale Heights, Warrenville and Carol Stream.