Atlantic City officials have unveiled a new siren system that they are hoping will lower crime and violence in the city.
“We’re able to literally reach the entire city with a system that’s in place,” says Atlantic City OEM Chief Scott Evans.
Come July, residents and visitors in Atlantic City will start to hear a new alert system at night. The goal is to get kids off the beach, boardwalk and street. The city’s curfew is 10 p.m.
“It will go off at 9:30 p.m. and that will give them plenty of time for the police officers to give sufficient time to get the kids back home to where they need to be from where they are,” Evans says.
Thanks to state grant money, the city has been able to upgrade its siren system by placing new towers throughout the city.
There are 11 siren towers. Officials say that they won’t only be used for curfew, but also for weather emergencies.
"This system will keep people safe. We've had to evacuate the beach many times for lightning and lightning storms and just to let people know that the beach is closed, no swimming. It is going to keep people safe,” Evans says.
The city is currently testing the system and is hoping to have the curfew sirens set up and running by July 1. They are also taking into consideration residents and noise levels.