Smartphone App Lets Anyone Report ‘Suspicious People’ In ‘Transitional’ St. Louis Neighborhood
From: Think Progress
A wealthy New Orleans real estate developer has created “Uber for cops,” an app that allows anyone with a smartphone to report nonviolent criminals, drug dealers, homeless people and others they feel may be “suspicious.”
According to the creator, Sidney Torres, the French Quarter Task Force app is a user-driven platform that allows bystanders to identify and photograph suspicious behavior and alert cops about where the suspected culprits are located. The app focuses on petty nonviolent crime not usually considered emergencies by law enforcement. Torres says the app would make it easier for cops to know exactly where to find a suspicious person or if a crime — the list offers categories like theft, vandalism, carrying of weapons, drug dealing, assault, prostitution, or “aggressive solicitation” — is in progress.
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