New Mobile App CityConnect Lets Local Law Enforcement Connect Directly to Communities
Salt Lake City, Oct. 2, 2012 – PublicEngines™, a provider of cloud-based solutions that facilitate crime analysis, supply actionable intelligence and increase community engagement for law enforcement and governments, announced today the CityConnect™ mobile application. CityConnect is the first fully-integrated mobile application that allows agencies to inform, connect, and engage with their local community through their own agency-branded mobile application.
Law enforcement agencies have continued to adopt social media tools at a high rate; a recent survey from PublicEngines showed that almost 95% of agencies have a website, and nearly 40% have a Twitter feed while 70% have a Facebook page. However, the adoption of technology by the public is even higher, and the majority of mobile phone users now have smartphones. CityConnect brings together all agency social media tools, plus PublicEngines’ popular services including CrimeReports mapping, TipSoft anonymous tipping and agency alerts into a single mobile application. It allows the public to stay up-to-date on local crime information and communicate crime information, unsafe conditions, and tips back to law enforcement officials any time, anywhere.
“Law enforcement agencies are always looking for ways to effectively engage with the public directly. As smartphones are now in the majority of people’s hands, it makes sense for agencies to have an app that makes communicating with the public as simple as possible,” said William Kilmer, CEO of PublicEngines. “The goal of any law enforcement agency is to prevent, reduce and solve crime, and CityConnect provides the public with all the necessary tools to help law enforcement accomplish this mission.”
Features of CityConnect include:
- Custom branded application maintained and supported by PublicEngines
- Social Media ready with links to any major service used by the agency, including:
- Facebook page
- Twitter feeds
- YouTube videos
- Flickr
- Blog
- Agency Website
- Built in applications to:
- Agency generated alerts
- Crime alerts page
- CrimeReports map
- TipSoft anonymous tips
- Alerts
- Report a Problem
“CityConnect is the Swiss Army knife of law enforcement tools,” added Kilmer. “In addition, it’s branded as the Agency’s own application, so they can more effectively reach out to their community. And, with the addition of Tipsoft for tips, agency alerts and the Report a Problem features, we anticipate agency’s benefiting from a highly informed and engaged public who can report virtually any problem.”
The CityConnect app will available for iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android devices in December 2012. For more information and to view a video on how CityConnect can increase information and communication with the public, visit http://www.publicengines.com.
About PublicEngines
PublicEngines helps law enforcement, governments, and the public prevent, reduce, and solve crime with easy-to-use, cloud-based solutions that facilitate crime analysis, supply actionable intelligence and increase community engagement. PublicEngines’ products include CrimeReports – the #1 most popular online crime mapping solution available; CommandCentral – a rich, intuitive, and affordable crime analytics and data visualization engine; and TipSoft – the industry’s most widely adopted anonymous crime tip submission and management platform. PublicEngine’s products are used by more than 2,500 agencies and governments. Its website CrimeReports.com and CrimeReports mobile application are used by millions of individuals worldwide to find local crime information.