Feb. 24--The Richland County Sheriff's Department unveiled a first-of-it's-kind mobile app to help people report crime.
At a press conference Thursday, Sheriff Leon Lott unveiled the Guardian Watch app, which lets people report emergencies using the camera on their cell phones. The app, developed by an Augusta, Ga. company of the same name, is available for iPhone and Android-based smartphones and will help deputies and community members fight crime in the county, Lott said. The app is the first of it's kind being used by law enforcement in the state, Lott said.
To report a incident, users open up the app, click a report button and choose a category that best describes what they are witnessing. Their phone then begins recording video, which is instantaneously sent to the department's Community Action Team. The app also sends GPS data to the sheriff's department, so officers know exactly where the incident occurred. Lott said it doesn't replace 911, but it can help deputies get a better narrative and of what happened in an incident.
For more information on Guardian Watch visit www.guardianwatch.com or the Richland County Sheriff's Department at www.rcsd.net.
?R. Darren Price
Copyright 2012 - The State, Columbia, S.C.
