It’s nice to be warned.

The Suffolk Police Department recently implemented its &uot;Reverse 911&uot; system that alerts residents to potential hazards in their area.

Under the system, residences of an area are called and played a recorded police message about things for which to be on the lookout.

Over the weekend, the service was used to warn residents of a possible home improvement scam being perpetrated after an elderly lady was reportedly bullied into paying $8,000 for a $3,500 roofing job.

On Monday, it was put in use again after a tanker truck carrying 9,200 gallons of liquid propane overturned at exit 9A on Interstate 664.

The benefits of such a system are too numerous to list, from those recent events mentioned above to lost children, lost elderly and fleeing felons – not to mention its potential uses in the event of terrorist warnings.

It’s one more tool in the community’s arsenal to fight crime and avert tragedy and Suffolk is fortunate to have it.