New smartphone app aids Irvine residents
An Irvine police lieutenant presented a new smartphone app for the city at this week’s City Council meeting.
“Access Irvine,” which the city and Hessing Software released Aug. 6, lets residents find out about city events, submit crime tips and look at the city’s social media presence, including on Twitter and Facebook. They can also peruse a phone book of the city’s services.
Lt. John Condon said after the meeting that the app started as an idea in October.
“There was a concern from the community to give teens the opportunity to submit crime tips anonymously,” he said. “We have a very proactive community that wants to make sure that we’re affording every opportunity we can to help keep people safe.”
Although the app was originally intended for teens, Condon said anyone can use it.
Crime tips can be submitted with descriptions, photos and their sending locations through a phone’s GPS, said Hessing Software President Matthew Hessing.
The tips then get sent to police dispatch, where they are evaluated for urgency. The dispatchers can also make comments on the report to notify other dispatchers about the tip’s importance.
Although the app is handy to report crimes, Condon said it is not intended for emergencies. The app includes a warning that emergencies should be handled by calling 911, and has a button to dial 911.
“I’m excited because it really opens the door for us to explore how we can use this technology in a lot of different ways,” Condon said. “It really gets us moving forward. I think we’re entering a new realm.”
“Access Irvine” is available for free in the Apple App Store. Condon said it will be released on the Android Market in the coming weeks.
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