The City of Concord is committed to keeping its residents, businesses and visitors safe and informed, especially when it comes to communicating about emergencies.
The City has a number of communications vehicles through which City staff and the Concord Police Department share important updates. They include:
City of Concord Nextdoor
Concord PD Nextdoor
City of Concord Facebook
Concord PD Facebook
City of Concord Twitter
Concord PD Twitter
Important news is also posted to the City’s website, and residents are encouraged to subscribe to news alerts that can be emailed and/or texted to subscribers. Emergency alerts may also be posted to Concord TV (Comcast 28, Wave 29 and U-verse 99), but could take more time to upload and disseminate than alerts posted to the website and social media.
In addition, all residents of Contra Costa County are strongly encouraged to subscribe to the County Warning System (CWS) to receive emergency alerts via phone, text and email. To subscribe, please visit https://cwsalerts.com/registration/
As of August 19, 2020, CWS has a new caller ID, which we recommend adding to your phone’s contact list. The new caller ID is 925-655-0195. See additional instructions below.
In addition to these alerts, CWS also utilizes their Facebook and Twitter accounts to issue emergency warnings.
Calling 911 in an Emergency
The Concord Police Department has discontinued using the Smart911 service. While the program was advertised, it was not utilized by community members in the volume anticipated.
When calling 911 in an emergency, please be prepared to provide the dispatcher with the following information:
- Location: Where do you need police officers/firefighters/EMTs to respond?
- Your emergency: i.e. medical incident, traffic collision, fight, etc.
- Your phone number: In case you get disconnected with 911 dispatch.
- Be prepared to answer specific questions. Emergencies can be stressful, but please try to stay calm and be prepared to answer the dispatcher’s questions as the information provided can be critical to first responders.
Concord PD continues to utilize Text-to-911. So, if you’re in a situation where it is not safe for you to speak directly to a 911 dispatcher, you can send a text message to 911. You will still be asked to provide the above listed information.
Further information about CWS
To make sure you pick up a CWS alert:
1. Add this number as a new contact in your mobile device and label it “Community Warning System”: 925-655-0195
2. Assign or add this new contact to your FAVORITES or EMERGENCY BYPASS. See instructions below.
Taking these steps should stop calls from being identified as Spam or silenced by the Do Not Disturb feature on your phone. For more information about the Community Warning System visit: www.CoCoCWS.us
Directions for iPhone:
Step 1: Go to Contacts -> Select Contact (Community Warning System)
Step 2: Go to Edit -> Ringtone -> Select Emergency Bypass toggle button -> Done
Directions for Android:
Step 1: Go to Contacts -> Select Contact (Community Warning System) -> Add to Favorites
Step 2: Go to Settings -> Notification –> Do Not Disturb -> Allow Exceptions -> Calls From -> Favorite Contacts Only