SANTA CRUZ, Calif- Are the police in your neighborhood and you have no idea why, well, now there is an app for that. The Santa Cruz Police Department, working with two recent UC Santa Cruz graduates, developed what is believed to be the first consumer-focused law enforcement iPhone application in the country.
“This mobile application will give our community a remarkable amount of information in the palm oftheir hand,” Police Chief Kevin Vogel said.
The mobile app will provide access to the police department’s scanner feed, online crime maps, videos, photos and a new departmental blog. In addition, consumers will be able to submit crime tips from their mobile phone and view Nixle alerts.
“We recognize that people are consuming information in new ways,” Chief Vogel said, “law enforcement needs to make their information as transparent and readily-accessible as possible to meet the expectations of our communities.”
The app was designed by EZ Axess Inc, a Sunnyvale-based start-up company founded in the Spring of 2009 by UC Santa Cruz graduates Kushyar Kasraie and Jamieson Johnson. The firm was a finalist in the 2009 UCSC Business Plan Competition, which was sponsored by the City of Santa Cruz.
EZ Axess is in the process of expanding the development to other smartphone platforms (such as the Droid). In the meantime, the app’s features can be obtained through any web-enabled phone via the Police Department’s newly launched mobile website http://m.santacruzpolice.com.This app will also work on the iTouch and iPad.
The free mobile application is available via iTunes and the Apple store.
From www.kionrightnow.com
