Community Notifications

Community Notifications sends automated SMS updates to 911 callers at key moments — before officers arrive, when a response is delayed, and after contact is made. Keeping community members informed in real time improves transparency, sets accurate expectations, and supports safer encounters.

Community Notifications gives administrators tools to shape clear, timely communication with the public. Administrators can customize message templates, define quiet hours, and set automated rules for pre-arrival, delayed-arrival, and post-contact messaging, with full visibility into message history.

Community Notifications also integrates with other Axon Community products:

  • Upload evidence with Community Request before officers arrive.
  • Complete digital forms, such as statements, with Community Forms.
  • Provide feedback following the interaction with Community Surveys.

Only agency administrators can access and configure Community Notifications settings and integrations.

Notification types

When a call for service is created in your CAD system, Community Notifications identifies the call type and sends the right message to the phone number on the call, automatically filled with real-time CAD data — with no extra steps for dispatchers or officers.

  • Pre-Arrival: messages sent before officers reach the scene.
  • Delayed Arrival: alerts triggered when response time exceeds an agency-defined threshold.
  • Post-Contact: follow-up messages or survey links sent after the call is closed.

Watch this video to learn more.

Permissions

  • Administrator: full access to all Community Notifications features and settings.
  • Manage Template and Rules: manage message templates, links, call types, and all rule configurations.
  • View / Export Message History: view and export message history only; cannot modify settings or rules.
Note

At launch, Community Notifications is available to customers using a Fusus CAD Core integration and Axon Nexus. Additional connection options will be released in 2026.

Settings and configuration

Master on/off toggle

  1. Select the Admin tab.
  2. Under Application Settings, select Community Notifications.

Administrators can use a master toggle to turn all messaging on or off without Axon support. While disabled, messages are not queued or stored. When re-enabled, new messages begin sending immediately. Messages that would have been sent during the disabled period are discarded and not delivered.

Post-contact quiet hours

Quiet hours prevent post-contact messages from sending during specific time periods, such as overnight.

  1. From the General Settings tab, select Post-Contact Quiet Time.
  2. Choose the start and end times.

Any post-contact messages triggered during quiet hours automatically queue and send once the quiet period ends. Pre-Arrival and Delayed Arrival messages are not affected by quiet hours.

Audit events

Actions on the settings page are tracked and audited, including:

  • General settings changes
  • Template actions (create, edit, delete, active/inactive status)
  • Link actions (create, edit, delete)
  • Call type management (create, edit, delete, enabling/disabling messages, timing)
  • Message history (viewing and exporting)