Greenwood Police are putting the final touches on a new smartphone app which could help save lives.
The new app has been in the works for quite some time now, and is finally ready to be rolled out to the public, according to Chief Will Dawson.
With just one click, people in town will be able to alert police to crimes that are happening within the city. The department will also be sending out notifications of its own, to better serve the public, Dawson said.
"If we have a missing child, we can push that notification out to people so they can be on the lookout," Dawson said. "Just last week, it was some citizens who helped us recover some children who had left the elementary school here in Greenwood."
Dawson says notifications will also go out when accidents block traffic around town and when severe weather hits. The app will also allow citizens to request extra patrol in certain areas around town. There will also be a way for people to record voice notes and take pictures while they're at the scene of a crime for later review by an officer.
Greenwood-specific codes and ordinances will also be available at the touch of a button in the new app. In addition, there will be a list of area sex offenders and the department's most wanted suspects that can be pulled up.
"Our department's been successful because of the help from the public," Dawson said. "There's a lot of cases where we rely on the citizens to identify people. We have a community that is involved and gets involved and that's important to help us solve our crimes."
The app will be available to the public starting next week, Dawson said. It will be free of charge.