Big Island residents may now sign up to receive Hawai’i Police Department traffic advisories by cell phone or e-mail in addition to media releases and other advisories that were previously available by this method.

Citizens who choose to participate can decide whether they want a short text message on their cell phones, a longer message by e-mail, or both.

The service is provided free to government agencies by Nixle, LLC, which has offices in New Jersey and California. It is also free to users except for possible text message charges, depending on the user’s mobile phone plan.

The Police Department started using this service last year to disseminate media releases. Police have recently begun to transmit other types of messages, including information about road closures.

Chief Harry Kubojiri said the Police Department is offering this service so police can deliver information directly to the public.

“I encourage Hawai’i County residents to register to receive these messages,” Chief Kubojiri said. “We are responding to the community’s request for timely information.”

Nixle offers citizens the choice to receive any combination of messages categorized as “alerts,” “advisories,” “community” or “traffic.” (To receive routine media releases, chose “community.”)

To sign up to receive Nixle messages, click the button above. If you prefer, you may log on to www.nixle.com and click on the button that says, “Residents Sign Up Now!” Once signed up, go to “locations” and enter any location in Hawai’i County to start receiving messages from the Hawai’i Police Department.