From Kim Minugh:
Finally, no more trying to decipher the often-unintelligible voice from the sky: The Sacramento Police Department has begun posting real-time information on its Web site, about the work of the "Air1" helicopter crew.
The helicopter is in the air often and a variety of assignments, so the updates won't be constant. But department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said dispatchers will post live updates when the helicopter has been assigned to a call for awhile and when several other criteria are met.
The Web site currently features a "Helicopter Activity" tab through which site visitors can read old posts. When there is a new update, a moving helicopter graphic will appear on the homepage, Leong said.
The updates will include the helicopter's location, the nature of the call and any descriptions of suspects or missing people for whom the crew is helping search, Leong said. They also will include whether residents should stay indoors - advice that often isn't understood by residents trying to make sense of the helicopter's garbled announcements.
As part of increased community outreach efforts by police officials, news from the department also can be found on the popular networking tools Facebook and Twitter (under "SacPolice"). Leong said public information officers and the department's top leaders will be using Twitter in particular to post live updates on major news events, such as homicides and shootings with multiple victims.
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Several months ago, the department began posting daily activity logs on its Web site. The efforts, Leong said, are all aimed to help the public understand what the city's police officers do on a daily basis.
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