A Missouri police department has released a smartphone application that residents can use to report local crimes and receive updates on police activities.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the Columbia Police Department's free mobile app, ColumbiaPD, is available on both Android and Apple operating systems.
Department spokeswoman Bryana Larimer says the goal of the app is to present the department's online services in a more user friendly manner.
She says submissions through the app won't be monitored for emergency situations and that residents should call the police department for situations that require an officer to be immediately dispatched. The department will use the submissions to identify areas with high criminal activity.
Larimer says the department began working on the app with the Information Technologies Department in January.