YourLRPD app unveiled
Will let public share crime tips on smartphone, police say
A new smartphone app will allow citizens to see Little Rock crime notifications in real time and share information and evidence with authorities.
Unveiled Thursday, the app is called “YourLRPD” and creates a space where citizens can crowdsource tips and evidence in real time and communicate with officers, Little Rock police said during a news conference alongside Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and the program’s developers at City Hall. It is available for free on iOS and Android devices.
Scott said the app serves as an easily accessible space for all the services the city’s police department provides, as well as shows a 12-hour rotating window of 911 calls reported within the city.
Maj. Casey Clark, head of the agency’s 21st Century Policing Unit, said the only crimes prohibited from showing up as reported through the app are those involving juveniles and sexual offenses.
Users have the option to remain anonymous when sending in information and can choose if or when the app can track their location. The app allows users to send texts, videos, and photos to officers.
“YourLRPD” will also allow users to create geographical locations of interest, such as a user’s home, work or school, authorities said. When crimes happen within or near those locations, users can receive a push alert to notify them.
Clark said the app should not replace a 911 phone call, as it is not monitored around the clock.
“This is not text 911, this is not an ‘I need help’ system,” Clark said.
Part of the “Real Time Crime Center,” approved ear
lier this month by the Little Rock City Board of Directors, will respond to information given through the app. Clark said the app will have officers ready to respond starting at 7 a.m. and remaining until around midnight.
The app cost nearly $50,000 to develop and the subscription will cost about that much yearly to maintain, according to Jamieson Johnson, Vice President of Atlas One, a company focused on helping governments and authorities communicate with communities. The company had been helping several cities, but Little Rock was the first to have it in Arkansas, Johnson said.