About FlashAlert on Twitter:
FlashAlert utilizes the free service Twitter to distribute emergency text messages. While you are welcome to register your cell phone text message address directly into the FlashAlert system, we recommend that you simply "follow" the FlashAlert account for Grants Pass Police Department by clicking on the link below and logging in to (or creating) your free Twitter account. Twitter sends messages out exceptionally fast thanks to arrangements they have made with the cell phone companies.
Click here to add Grants Pass Police Department to your Twitter account or create one.
@gppolice
Landon was located and safely returned home. GPPD would like to thank all those who helped find Landon.
North Middle School student Landon Pene was last seen at school just before the end of the school day. Landon told a friend he was going to go into the surrounding hills and hide instead of returning home. Landon has a history of frequenting the hillside area near NW Starlite Place. Landon is 11 years old and was last seen wearing a navy-blue hoodie sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black and white shoes. Landon is a white male juvenile with brown hair and hazel eyes. Landon is 5'02" tall and weighs approximately 110 lbs. If you have seen Landon or know where he is, don't hesitate to contact Grants Pass Police at 541-450-6260.
Due to a police event, please avoid the area of the 1300 block of NW Washington. The roadway is currently closed to all traffic. We do not anticipate a long closure and will advise the public when the roadway is open. We appreciate the cooperation of the public during this event.
*** The police operation has concluded and the roadway is open.
Grants Pass, Ore. - The Josephine County 911 Agency is asking Android users to turn off the Emergency SOS feature in the settings of their phones until an issue is corrected in a future release. Phones will still be able to call 911 in the event of an emergency. The Emergency SOS feature calls 911 after the side buttons on the phone are pressed 5 times in rapid succession. The result is that many accidental calls are being placed into our center. For each of these calls, a dispatcher must call the phone back to determine if a true emergency exists. Calls that go unanswered are then sent to an officer to attempt to locate the caller and check their welfare, tying up emergency responders who are then unavailable for actual emergency calls.
Over the month of March, we noticed a 31% increase in 911 hangup calls and a 49% increase in these calls over the month of April from the same period in 2022. When questioning callers about the reason for the accidental call, the vast majority have been determined to come from Android phones in pockets, vehicle cup holders, or purses.
To turn off this feature on an Android phone, go to the settings of your phone, click on the magnifying glass to search, and type in Emergency SOS. You can then slide the toggle to turn the feature off. The feature has a built-in alert to notify callers prior to the calls being placed; however, many times the alert is either not working or not noticed in time to prevent the call.
If you do find that you’ve accidentally called 911, please do not hang up! Stay on the line and let the dispatcher know it was an accident, answering the questions they ask. This will allow them to close out the call without further action.
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Due to a criminal investigation involving Grants Pass Police and detectives, the east side of Riverside Park near Vista Drive is closed. Please avoid the area. We will update when this part of the park is open again. We appreciate the public’s cooperation.