The Blackstone (Mass.) Police Department announced the deployment of Ping4 Inc’s Hyperlocal Citizens Alerts app, Ping4Safety, which instantly notifies people of dangers and emergencies wherever they are in the world. Users can download this free app on their Apple or Android smartphones to receive immediate notification about natural disasters, dangerous storm situations, missing persons, traffic situations, terrorist attacks, and local crimes in progress.
Ping4’s hyperlocal alerts leverage proprietary geo-fencing technology to pinpoint a location and rich media alerts to wake up users’ smartphones with a pop-up, text, audio message or digital photo of the specific emergency situation. Law enforcement authorities can enlist help from the community in solving crimes via a truly anonymous “A-Tip” feature. The app works over GPS and cellular networks as well as in Wi-Fi hotspots and doesn’t tap data plan minutes or place undue strain on smartphone batteries.
Unlike other alert apps, once downloaded on your phone, Ping4Safety is universal; wherever the user travels they know they will receive alerts to keep them safe. Police can now alert citizens in specifically defined locations as small as a parking space or as large as a continent, in a specific store or shopping mall, or an entire city or state. Ping4Safety is Ping4’s agency-facing solution for local, regional, state and national law enforcement agencies, emergency management agencies, public utilities and educational institutions who look to deliver real-time, Hyperlocal Citizens Alerts.
In addition, the Citizens Alerts app features local merchant deals and offerings through its Citizens Rewards program, a unique feature that brings value to the user and increases the likelihood of the app staying on the smartphone. It also includes a rich search tool with compass and mapping information.
