Andalusia Star News

With smartphones, tips, evidence go directly to dispatcher at APD

Crime fighting? There’s now an app for that – or at least one for local residents as the Andalusia Police Department announced Tuesday it is partnering with LiveSafe to offer a mobile app to report emergencies and anonymously report crime tips.

The app was designed by Kristina Anderson, a sophomore at Virginia Tech who was shot three times on April 16, 2007, when in less than 12 minutes, the gunman shot and killed 11 of her classmates and one of her professors.

Anderson believes that technology can save lives.

“If smartphone capability was as widespread back then, I probably would have seen an email, texts or pictures all pointing to this one incident on campus, but we had no prior knowledge anything was going on,” Anderson said during an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

It’s that instantaneous information that the APD wants to capitalize on, said Sgt. Jason Curry Tuesday. Curry said the app enables citizens to safely share tips, receive important emergency notification from law enforcement and gives them the ability to anonymously report crime tips directly to the police.

The app works via the Internet, meaning it can be used on smartphones and tablets alike.

Users can also anonymously record crime-scene audio, video and images tagged with GPS information for investigators and officials.

Once a user submits a tip, such as an accident, robbery or drug crime, the information goes directly to the APD dispatch center, which then dispatches help. Curry said the program also allows for push notifications, emails and voice, using either data or Wi-Fi connections.

READ MORE>