The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the 911 Council, has contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., of Ormond Beach, FL, for its “CodeRED” high-speed telephone emergency notification services.  The CodeRED system gives the Sheriff’s Office the ability to deliver pre-recorded emergency telephone notification/information messages to targeted areas or the entire county at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour. 

Lee County Sheriff Buck Jones cautioned that the system is only as good as the telephone database supporting it.    “If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called”.  The CodeRED system gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly to the system’s telephone database. 

The CodeRED system is a geographical based notification system, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergency notification calls.  The system works fine for cell phones, too. 

Sheriff Jones urges all individuals and businesses to log onto the Lee County website and follow the link to the “CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection” page.  Those without internet access may call the Sheriff’s Office, Monday through Friday, 8AM-4PM to give their information over the phone.  Required information is first and last name, physical street address (no P.O. boxes), city, zip code, and primary phone number, and optional phone numbers.  The information will only be used for emergency notification purposes.  No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included, Jones said.  All businesses should register, as well as individuals with unlisted phone numbers, those who have changed their address within the last year, and those who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone.