DETCOG board receives report on Region 911 update at meeting
'Amber Alert' guidelines to be set

Deep East Texas Council of Government's (DETCOG) Board Members received a report on proposed updates to the region's 911 system Thursday at their meeting in San Augustine.

Executive Director Walter Diggles told the board more money from 911 service fees has been awarded the DETCOG region to improve mapping for wireless customers.

The current system makes it difficult to guide police, fire and EMS units to a wireless caller's location. The Columbia Center at Stephen F. Austin State University is expected to lend their expertise to the upgrade project.

Diggles also reported that ninety households had been qualified for funding as a part of DETCOG's Hurricane Rita Relief Program.

The $4.6 million available to DETCOG will be used to purchase new housing or repair existing damaged homes by Hurricane Rita.

Diggles went on to say he and DETCOG staff met Wednesday with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) and the program manager for Phase 2 of the state's Hurricane Rita Relief program, ACS.

They discussed the transfer of applications and supporting documents from the two thousand home owners in the region that DETCOG will not have funding to help.

TDHCA approved a contract with ACS at the end of 2007 for it to manage Phase 2 of the state's Hurricane Rita Homeowners Relief program in the twenty two counties covered by President Bush's disaster declaration.

Also discussed at the DETCOG Board Meeting was the Nacogdoches Police Department's proposal to create an "Amber Alert" program in Deep East Texas.

"Amber Alert" Programs establish guidelines and procedures for reviewing reported child abductions and alerting the public to watch for the children and vehicles associated with their disappearance.

Several DETCOG counties are already part of the Beaumont and Houston "Amber Alert" programs. DETCOG Staff will be working with the remaining County Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to establish guidelines and procedures for their programs that are compatible with statewide "Amber Alert" programs.