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Writer's picturejeannettesutton

Law Enforcement warning and all-clear

A series of messages about law enforcement activity.

The Warning Gallery has many examples of incomplete warning messages that would likely result in information seeking before actions are taken. In this example, the messages on the left represent alerts that did not include the clear name of the source, location, or time. The original alert clearly states that there is an armed standoff occurring and people should stay indoors. The original all clear clearly states

that it is safe to resume activity. However, location information about who should stay indoors and for how long is critical when a WEA is sent to a broad geographical area.


The editor's desk has offered a few suggestions to make this series more complete and more specific. Here, we've added a complete source name, the location of the incident and the neighborhood that is affected, the time when the incident is occurring, and additional actions. Similar to the original alert, we use ALL CAPS to help highlight key words that we want the reader to quickly notice and remember.


For the post alert message, we've offered a brief explanation of how the event has been resolved, in addition to telling people that it is safe. The original message used the language "all clear" which indicates something has been resolved, but doesn't specify how or what.


Looking at the new message series, we use the term "law enforcement activity" to name the hazard. This isn't very informative without the additional hazard impact information about an armed suspect. By adding hazard impact, the message receiver can interpret what is occurring and better understand why they are asked to stay inside with their doors locked.

 

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