North Little Rock Police DepartmentThe North Little Rock Police Department is launching a free smartphone app to provide users with real-time information and alerts.
The department is working with Atlas One, a national public safety network that the city of Little Rock uses for its public safety app that launched last year.
North Little Rock’s app will allow the department to share “real-time crime and incident information with the community, provide residents with one-stop-shop access to essential resources and even allow residents to submit tips/reports to NLRPD,” according to a department email.
The app will allow the department to send “geo-fenced push notification alerts when a public safety issue occurs nearby a user’s current location, or places residents care about, such as their home, school or office,” according to a press release from the department.
A geofence is a virtual geographic boundary and the app can use that technology to send message to small areas in the city.
“We now have the ability to send personalized geo-fenced notifications to an area as small as a building, allowing us to get the right information to the right people in real-time. This technology will save lives,” North Little Rock Police Chief Patrick Thessing said.
Atlas One uses a device’s location but the company does not share that information with third parties, including the North Little Rock Police Department, the press release said.
Users who choose not to share their location can still receive alerts about their favorite locations.
The app will go live today after a press conference that begins at 2 p.m.
