A key component of building community partnerships is making the community feel part of the public safety process. With the right tools, agencies can enhance communication, build trust, and give citizens the opportunity to take a proactive role in their community’s safety.

Below are some ways in which agencies are using technology to build stronger partnerships with citizens, businesses, and schools:

• Enable Real-Time Communication with Apps: In critical situations, a single piece of information from a citizen could make a major difference in the outcome. Similarly, alerting citizens of incidents in real-time can help keep citizens out of harm’s way. With public safety Apps like 365Labs’ GISMO for Communities app, agencies can enable convenient, real-time communication with their community. The app empowers citizens to provide information securely and anonymously like pictures, videos, or tips to law enforcement directly from their phone or tablet. Agencies can use the app to alert citizens of important crime and safety updates and request information to help solve crimes faster.

• Implement Community Camera Programs for Crime Prevention: With video evidence becoming one of the most useful tools for solving and preventing crimes, agencies and citizens can work together to improve community safety with the help of smart cameras. Community Camera sharing programs have become an effective way for agencies to partner with businesses and residents. These programs allow residents, businesses, and HOAs to share information about their security cameras (like location, direction, etc) with law enforcement. Or, agencies may choose to provide cameras to participating citizens and businesses. In addition to capturing evidence and deterring criminals, the cameras can be connected with RealTime Command Center technology to minimize response time when incidents occur.

• Improve School Safety with Easy Reporting: With increasing security concerns in schools and college campuses, information from students can play a vital role in keeping campuses safe. 365Labs’ GISMO for Schools App empowers students to anonymously report bullying, security threats or suspicious activity directly through their phone. This information is directly shared with the designated school officials, Law enforcement or local CrimeStoppers to minimize response time.  The app also enables school officials to send emergency alerts or other campus safety related information to the students through app notifications.

By building strong, collaborative relationships with the community, agencies can increase information sharing and citizen participation.

The 365™ Public Safety platform incorporates online tools and apps to help agencies keep the public informed, engage the community and meet citizen expectations.

To learn more about 365Labs Community Engagement tools, click here.