Palo Alto Police Department Launches Free Mobile App

Release from the Palo Alto PD:

The Palo Alto Police Department is offering a free mobile app for smartphones that gives immediate access to the latest news, crime maps, urgent alerts and social media posts right from the palm of your hand. 

Called “Palo Alto Police Department Mobile,” the app is available for free download in the App Store for Apple iOS devices and in the Google Play store for Android devices. 

Created specifically for the Palo Alto Police Department by Sunnyvale-based software developer MobilePD, the app brings together information already found in different locations with new features and functionality not previously available. 

• News: read the latest press releases authored by Department personnel 
• Crime Maps: see a map of your neighborhood and where crime has occurred 
• Alerts: receive push notifications to receive immediate urgent alerts directly from us 
• Submit Tips: users can submit tips anonymously 
• Social Media: easy one-click access to our Twitter and Facebook accounts 
• Videos: links out to video content on our YouTube channel 
• Photos: links out to an array of photos albums (including one with sketches and/or pictures of outstanding suspects) on our Flickr account 

“We’re thrilled for our community to have this new way to interact with us and to access our public information,” said Chief Dennis Burns of the Palo Alto Police Department. “This app is a one-stop shop for information from our Department. It’s another way for us to be as transparent as we can, and it gives us another method to put news and critical public safety updates right into the hands of anyone who may want it.” 

“We are excited to play a role in connecting the Palo Alto community with their police department,” said MobilePD Chief Executive Officer Kushyar Kasraie. “We believe that applications like this build bridges between people and their local government.” 

It is important to note that the addition of this mobile app to the Palo Alto Police Department’s public information program will not replace or stop the flow of information to any of our pre-existing channels. Rather, the app supplements those channels, and becomes another option for people to use in our ongoing efforts to reach as many members of our community as possible. 

News releases will still continue to be published to the City of Palo Alto website (see www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/topics/press.asp), crime maps will still continue to be displayed on CrimeReports.com (seewww.crimereports.com), and public safety information will still continue to be released on our social media channels (see www.cityofpaloalto.org/PAPDconnect for links to all of our social media platforms). We will still continue to use the AlertSCC emergency telephone notification system as well; to ensure you are registered for that, visit www.alertscc.com. Our police report log, which essentially is our own “police blotter,” will still continue to be published on our website (see www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/pol/rptlog.asp). 

Emergency calls should still be placed directly to 9-1-1, and non-emergency requests for police service should still be routed to our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413.