New Jasper County sheriff wants to beef up public alert system. What’s a ‘Nixle’?
Jasper County’s newly sworn-in sheriff pledged to increase his department’s use of Nixle safety alerts, citing his campaign promise to improve communication with the public.
Sheriff Chris Malphrus announced the initiative shortly after taking office for a second term on Jan. 7. He first served as sheriff beginning in 2016 but was unseated in 2020 by Donald Hipp, who Malphrus narrowly defeated in a 2024 rematch.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office implemented the program in 2017 during Malphrus’ first term, initially using the alerts to provide evacuation details during Huricane Irma. The department sent notifications about once a month regarding missing person cases, the COVID-19 pandemic and reports of violent crime — but the updates grew sparse after Hipp took office in 2021. Only four Nixle alerts were sent during Hipp’s four-year term.
Nixle is owned by software company Everbridge, which was founded as an emergency notification system in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Law enforcement agencies and other groups pay the company thousands of dollars a year for its messaging services. To aid with COVID-19 vaccine rollout in 2021, the state of West Virginia invested $760,000 in a registration system run by Everbridge. The company has also scored large-scale deals to coordinate emergency messaging systems for the countries of Australia, Peru and Singapore.
About 150 people were signed up to receive Nixles from Jasper County police as of Tuesday. The agency hopes to grow that number into the thousands, according to spokesperson Christian Felt.
Felt said the sheriff’s office planned to use Nixle alerts to update residents about important arrests, violent crimes and large police responses in certain areas. Notifications about traffic collisions and potential backups will not be a major priority because the department does not play a significant role in traffic enforcement, he added. Road closures are typically shared on Nixle via Jasper County Emergency Services, which encompasses fire rescue, EMS and 911 communications.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office sends near-daily Nixles to more than 61,000 subscribers, nearly a third of Beaufort County’s 2020 population, according to Master Sgt. Daniel Allen. The department first contracted with Nixle in 2014, initially funding the paid plan with a $13,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Residents can sign up to receive Nixle alerts from the following organizations in Beaufort and Jasper counties:
- Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office
- Beaufort Police Department
- City of Hardeeville
- Jasper County Sheriff’s Office
- Jasper County Emergency Services
- Town of Bluffton
