A computerized system from a company in...Louisiana? Doesn't instill me with confidence.

An email went out last week requesting City employees update their info so that we would get the emergency alert. I immediately went into the database and made sure my number was NOT listed.

I will note that the O's article is incorrect. Supposedly only 2100 people were notified, and it was just City employees with names starting with A, B or C. Even if that included both first and/or last names, I think that number is probably closer to 300-500.

I did get a phone call about that time from an unidentified source. I rejected the call, and in talking to fellow co-workers, most everyone doesn't answer unknown phone calls. Wonder if that played a part as well.

And, as someone else said - after Katrina, do you really want to do business from a company from Louisiana?

So, who ya gonna call? Contractbusters!

All 2,100 people are city employees whose contact information was stored on a city database and whose last names began with A, B or C.

As "umpire" notes above, this seems wildly off. How many employees does the city have if there are 2,100 in the category of those with a last name beginning with A, B, and C?

Sure 1% success rate sounds bad. But it's still comes out to like a B+, graded on the CoP curve.

Dave J - the 2,100 were subscribers in Portland - not exclusively city employees.

You know what almost always worked? Air raid sirens. Cheap, effective, indiscriminate.

Unfortunately since they are not linked with iPhones and Wi-Fi internet access, they aren't cool.

I wondered what they did with the Water Bureau billing computer.

Bet if we spent another 250 million we could see 2%.
Government good, businesses baaaaaaaaad.

fancypants--

Please note that the "system" was obtained from a private business.

No city folks wrote code or assembled servers.

Yes, in this instance, "business baaaaad".

Please do try to keep up.

Even funnier - the "system" is 18 months old and it still fails to function as planned...

I think Bill McDonald could get some comedy gold out of this event..

the "system" is 18 months old and it still fails to function as planned

Oh, get real. It crapped out. Every year-and-a-half-old does it. That's why Pampers™ are such big sellers - and why a lot of Portlanders have had about enough of Sammy and his friends screwing around with the garbage system.

So....since we are such smart folks we made sure that the contract we signed had a decent SLA (Service Level Agreement).

With this failed test 18 months into it we get our money back for year 1 from the vendor, right? RIGHT????

Never mind.

I am shocked simply shocked the CoP has had yet another failure on a computer project. Wait, maybe I should be shocked if there ever got it right...

Nonny Mouse-- Once again the bureaucrat hands over millions in tax dollars probably to the highest bidder, receives his kickback and its all good. BTW,anybody know if Mr. McCoy has sued for wrongful discharge yet? No worries, city has lots to spend.

Funny how I haven't seen Amanda Fritz' name anywhere. Isn't that her bureau?

I think I just heard Mary Nolan let out a "When Harry Met Sally" scream.

Can we get a notification system to let us know when these clowns have left and the city is safe again?

(This comment in no way is implied to denigrate clowns- unless they choose to pretend to be elected officials who don't mind flushing another $200K down the rat-hole of suspect projects)