LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The Little Rock Police Department is unveiling a brand new app, YourLRPD, which is available to download for iOS and Android devices.
With the rollout of the new app, Little Rock police become the first public safety agency in Arkansas to crowdsource tips and evidence in real-time.
The app is designed to streamline communication between citizens and the city's police department, with leaders excited for what the application could mean for the area.
Mayor Frank Scott Jr. called the app a one-stop-shop for resources and information connected to LRPD. He also said they invested in the app to foster better communication between the public and Little Rock police.
"As we talk about technology, we talk about transparency. We talk about more information for Little Rock residents, more information for our media as it's related to Little Rock, our capital city," said Mayor Scott.
The app partnered with Atlas One, which is a digital communications platform helping governments and public safety authorities across the U.S.
According to Atlas One representative, Jamieson Johnson, the platform has similar apps like YourLRPD in 10 other cities.
"App users will be able to view calls of service submitted to LRPD within a 12-hour window. More importantly, users may prefer to set up push alerts for specific areas of interest like your home, your work place, or your children's school," said Mayor Scott.
So when police receive a specific call within the areas that you've set up push alerts for, you'll be notified of the incident through the app.
Alongside the push alerts, users can also use the online messaging system within the app to submit crime tips. Furthermore, users can send pictures, video, and audio in real time if they are at the scene of an incident or have important evidence to share.
So, with all of that in mind-- how exactly does the app work? Here's a step-by-step look of what to expect:
- Download the free YourLRPD, on Apple App Store or Google Pay Store.
- Create an account and profile within the app.
- You can share your location or add favorite places that you want to track.
- If an alert occurs near your current location or any of the places you'd like track, the app will send out a push notification alert.
- If you have a crime tip or evidence, you can easily share texts, photos, audio, and videos with LRPD through the app.
If you'd like to remain anonymous when sending tips, you can use the hide identity slide that's available during messaging.
As for the inner working of the app, Maj. Casey Clark said the real-time data comes directly from their Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that works alongside the AtlasOne programming.
"Our hope is simple. The more information we can give citizens, the more information they can give back to us in hopes of making a safer city and community [and] helping us solve crimes," said Maj. Clark.
He shared that people can report anything from illegally parked cars to crimes that they just witnessed.
They app allows them to send this info directly to an on-duty officer. This provides to the public with opportunity to see that the officers are being attentive and and know exactly who's responsible for responding to the calls people have.
The app tracks from 7 a.m. until midnight, which means you can get real-time responses from law enforcement through the app during those hours.
Current Interim Chief Crystal Young-Haskins spoke during the app's launch, for what she said was the last time in a public forum, as she's set to leave the department on Friday, June 16, 2022.
"This started with Chief Humphrey as a brain child of his. He brought it to the team and gave the task to Maj. Clark to be the gold champion for our department," said Young-Haskins. "We collaborated with the IT department, they did all the heavy lifting."
She said the benefits of the project comes in the form of increased accessibility and transparency, but above all, it aligns with their mission to build legitimacy and trust in the community.
"I hate that Chief Humphrey retired before it was brought into fruition, but this is just another testament to how progressive the City of Little Rock and your police department are in trying to make sure citizens have the information that they need," said Young-Haskins.
YourLRPD is another step in the city's commitment towards improving public safety and reducing crime in Little Rock.
If you download the YourLRPD app the privacy policy notes that the app automatically receives info "from your web browser or mobile device." This includes the name of the website "from which you entered our [app]...as well as the name of the website you'll visit when you leave our [app.]"
The info the app collects may also include your IP address and "data about your browsing activity" when using the app.
The application also collects data about location including GPS and IP tracking.
The app is free for download in the Apple App Store and Google Pay stores.