East Chicago residents now have another layer of service from the East Chicago Police Dept., with a smartphone application that sends them notifications when public safety issues occur.
The city announced recently it has joined Atlas One, a location-based public safety platform. The app also lets users send text message notifications to East Chicago Police and allows user requests to speak directly to an officer in the department.
“The Atlas One app will help us stay in touch with our community 24hrs a day. We will be able to communicate in real-time what is happening in the community while receiving crime tips immediately and anonymously. I look forward to the launch of Atlas One and I look forward to working closely with the community,” said East Chicago Police Chief Jose Rivera.
“My mission as Chief of Police is to develop plans to keep the police department evolving as technology advances, without losing sight of the need to always put our residents first.” Chief Rivera said.
The free mobile application is available for download on iOS and Android smartphones.
“The app allows ECPD to send alerts when a public safety issue occurs nearby a user’s current location or places residents care about, such as their home, school, or office,” said Steve Segura, of ECTV News.
Alerts are interactive and can include text, photos, videos, documents, and even voice recordings. In addition, Segura said, residents will have one-stop-shop access to existing East Chicago Police Department services and resources, such as our website, social media, and contact information. Users can also explore nearby incidents, events, places, and interactive guides.
“With the launch of Atlas One, the East Chicago Police Department has once again demonstrated their commitment to citizen engagement, increased transparency, and crime reduction,” said Kushyar Kasraie, CEO of Atlas One. “ECPD is the first public safety agency in the state of Indiana to launch Atlas One, and we expect others to follow their lead in the months to come.”
“Users can be comfortable sharing their location with Atlas One knowing their data is safe,” said Jamieson Johnson, Vice President of Atlas One. “Location access simply allows us to notify you if an emergency is occurring nearby. We never track historical location or share your personal data with any third parties, including East Chicago Police Department.” Users can still be notified if alerts occur nearby favorite places, even if they choose not to share their location.
“East Chicago, let’s continue to advance as a community in public safety with the launch of the new Atlas One app. We are counting on your eyes to help us help you,” said East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland.
Atlas One is not restricted to East Chicago users; anyone can join.
