Broome County residents can receive the latest alerts and updates from the Broome County Sheriff’s Office and more easily interact with incarcerated people through a free smartphone application released by the agency Thursday.
In an effort to improve communication and transparency between the sheriff’s office and the community, users can access public safety bulletins, submit crime tips, access the office’s “most wanted” list and sex offender registry and provide direct feedback on interactions with deputies.
“Over 80 percent of U.S. residents own and use smartphones as their primary means of communication,” Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar said. “It only makes sense for the Broome County Sheriff’s Office team to modernize how we communicate to better serve the people of the community.”
What the app includes
App users can access information from every division of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, including civil, corrections, detectives, highway patrol, records, fiscal and community policing.
Users will also be able to download pistol permit application forms, recertify their pistol permits online and access motor vehicle crash reports.
The app will also make it easier for families and loved ones of incarcerated people to check their status, pay bail, make commissary deposits and phone calls and send mail and photos.
“Families of incarcerated individuals are already dealing with a stressful situation,” Akshar said. “Anything we can do to make it easier for them to communicate and support individuals within the confines of the facility will no doubt have a positive impact for everyone involved.”
How the app was paid for, developed
Akshar said the one-time $26,000 set-up fee for the app was paid using inmate commissary money.
“We used that fund because when we looked at building out this app, one of the questions we asked ourselves internally was do we want this to be exclusively for the community,” Akshar said. “Equally as important was to ensure that we had an equal…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply