Smartphone App Lets Police, Public Track Crime In Edmond Neighborhoods

A new app is helping officers on patrol and keeping the public informed about crime reports in their neighborhoods.

The "Raids Online" app is free and can be accessed from a computer or smart phone and tracks police reports on everything from theft to murder. It was developed by former law enforcement officers, according to an Edmond Police spokeswoman.

The Edmond Police Department decided to utilize the technology after a summit for police chiefs. The goal is to not only keep the public in the know about criminal activity around the area, but also give officers on patrol a tool they can use when responded to certain areas.

On the law enforcement side of the app, officers can actually pull up incident reports filed by their agency and other agencies that use the technology. EPD Spokeswoman Jenny Monroe explained it could help officers when they are responded to areas that overlap with other jurisdictions.

The app also comes with a one-touch police report that users can quickly fill out and submit directly to their agency. Users can also sign up for alerts for certain areas, like their specific neighborhood.

The technology has been implemented in some major cities around the country, including the Dallas area. Edmond and Ada are the only cities currently using it in Oklahoma. The hope is that more cities sign up for it, making it easier to share information.