Web Apps: Your Local Police In Your Pocket

 The invention of smartphones have given us access to up to the minute events almost as soon as they occur. In addition to social media websites, certain applications can be downloaded to your smartphone or to your PC that allow you to follow day to day events while you're at work. Have you ever wondered what's going on in your town while you're sitting in your office? Wouldn't you like to know if there's a significant event (house fire, house break, armed robbery) going on in your neighborhood as you sit in your office miles from home? Sure you're going to get major news through your news feed that you subscribe to, but what about stuff that may be important to you, but might not be headline newsworthy?

 One mobile/web application called "mobilePD" (www.gomobilepd.com) allows for users to subscribe to their local police department, if the department adopts this program. The program gives the user up to date information to crimes in a given area by pinpointing on a town map, what calls are going on at a specific location. There is a section for news that allows for users to read up to the minute press releases authorized by the Chief of Police, videos with direct links to the department's YouTube channel, access to photos posted by the department, to include photos from community events and wanted posters, tips where users can submit anonymous tips to the department without having to get overly involved, and a section where the user can sign up for alerts from the local PD when an event is happening. The alerts can be extremely helpful if your power has gone out, or if there is a sudden need to boil your water due to contaminate levels and traffic delays for your evening commute home.

 Advancements like this is helpful to both the citizen and the police department. From the citizen standpoint it allows for 24 hour access to significant events from wherever they may be at any given time. From the police department's standpoint, things like when the power goes out and when it comes back on cut down on phone calls to the dispatcher, allowing for lines to be free for true police emergencies.