Lincolnshire police to color-code social media posts in new public alert system

Lincolnshire police are launching a color-coded system for the department's social media posts to let people know the relative urgency and importance of those messages.

The three-color system will debut Saturday on Facebook and could expand to other social media platforms and other village departments, Chief Joe Leonas said.

"We've found a lot of times that people get their news from social media," Leonas said. "So the mission is to meet them where they're at."

Messages will be posted with green, orange or red headers that bear the police department patch and text that corresponds to each message level.

Green indicates an advisory message, such as an announcement of an upcoming special event, a road project or a crime prevention tip.

An orange header will be used for precautionary messages, such as warnings about car burglaries or other crimes in nearby towns.

A red header will be used to bring attention to emergency messages, such as a spill of dangerous materials, a crime in progress, a car crash that has closed a major intersection or other immediate threats in town.

Knowing how stories can get twisted on social media, Leonas hopes the system will ensure residents read - and share - reliable information about emergencies and other incidents in the area.

Regardless of the accompanying colors, messages from the department generally will be shorter than detailed news releases.

"We don't want to overload somebody with too much information," Leonas said. "It's the immediate information they need to know to take action."

The logos were designed by village employees, with input from elected officials.

The color codes were inspired by the National Weather Service's system of warnings and watches for weather emergencies, Leonas said.