Wake County emergency alert went out to more people than necessary
CHEVY TO TAKE YOU ANYWHERE.
>> POLICE WERE QUICKLY TO KEEP
THE PUBLIC INFORMED ABOUT A
MANHUNT AND ARREST IN ZEBULON
MONDAY NIGHT. BUT SOMETHING
WENT WRONG. SO IF YOU WERE
ANYWHERE IN WAKE COUNTY LAST
NIGHT, YOU DEFINITELY HEARD
ABOUT IT. THAT URGENT ALERT
THAT WAS SENT OUT. BUT IT
WASN'T SUPPOSED TO GO OUT TO
EVERYONE. WRAL'S. JULIAN GRACE
IS JOINING US LIVE TO EXPLAIN
HOW THIS MUST TAKE UNFOLDED.
JULIAN'S.
A LITTLE. WE'VE ALL HEARD THAT
SOUND. THAT ALERT GOES OUT
IMMEDIATELY CATCHES OUR
ATTENTION. BUT THIS TIME THAT
ALERT.
>> WENT TO THE WRONG PEOPLE.
THE ALERTS WENT
>> AND IMMEDIATELY THE
COMPLAINTS CORNYN IS GOING TO
INFORM. BUT I'M LIKE, WHY WAS
I GETTING THIS?
MORE THAN 1.0? 2 MILLION PEOPLE
ACROSS WAKE COUNTY RECEIVED THE
MESSAGE THAT THE MANHUNT IN
ZEBULON WAS OVER. BUT THE
NOTIFICATION WAS ONLY SUPPOSED
TO GO TO ZEBULON IS 10,000
RESIDENTS, NOT THE COUNTY.
WE DON'T TAKE THAT
RESPONSIBILITY LIGHTLY. AND
WE RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW,
MISTAKES LIKE THIS CAN CAUSE
SOME ALERT, FATIGUE.
>> WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE
DISTURBED INDIVIDUALS, YOU
KNOW, IN THEIR HOMES AND THEIR
PLACES OF WORK. PEOPLE
TRAVELING THROUGH THE AREA AND
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE
YOU SITUATIONS ARE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY. SO
WHAT HAPPENED?
>> WADE COUNTY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT CONFIRMED THE
PROBLEM. THE GEO TAG WASN'T
APPLIED CORRECTLY.
>> INSTEAD OF THE ALLURE GOING
TO JUST ZEBULON RESIDENTS, IT
WOULD TO EVERYONE WITH A
SMARTPHONE WITH IN WAKE COUNTY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS AN AMBER
ALERT. PATRICK LIMA RECEIVED
THE ALERT AND HE SAYS HE WANTS
IT. IF IT'S URGENT. DON'T
SEND IT.
>> EXPRESSING ENOUGH TO AT
LEAST ALERT U.S. FIRST, MAYBE
GIVE SOME PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY
TO TAKE AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE
OR JUST SIT THERE IN THAT AREA.
THEY CAN STAY INSIDE.
>> INVESTIGATORS SAY WHATEVER
YOU DO, DON'T TURN THOSE ALERTS
OFF BECAUSE THEY ARE TYPICALLY
ACCURATE AND ALSO URGES FOR NOW