ST. PETERSBURG — St. Petersburg police unveiled a new mobile application Tuesday, hoping residents will use it to better connect with law enforcement.
The app is free for iPhone and Android, and it includes safety advice, a tips button and a contacts list, among other features.
"The technology is there, we've just got to start using the technology that's available to us," Chief Tony Holloway said during a press conference at the department's headquarters.
Also introduced Tuesday were a new anonymous text-a-tip line called Tip411, a new police website, and smart boards that will allow officials to write tactical plans from the headquarters building then transmit the information to commanders in the field during SWAT scenarios, natural disasters and other emergency situations.
Police paid for the mobile app with money from the Patterson Charitable Trust for crime prevention. Other expenses were covered by forfeiture funds, and a city resolution for the new technology lists the cost at roughly $140,000. That money, according to the city resolution, is intended to help in St. Petersburg police's adoption of a data-driven policing model.
Officers will hand out USB drives, bike reflectors, pens, and car adapters for charging cell phones to raise awareness of the new text-a-tip line. Holloway said the department will continue to work with CrimeStoppers, which also provides tipsters the chance to pass along information by texting.