Smartphone App Helps Jones County Sheriff’s Deputies Fight Crime

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Jones County sheriff’s deputies are catching more criminals than ever, thanks to people in the community and believe or not their smart phones.

Officials say an app is connecting law enforcement with residents, and it’s helping crack down on crime.

In a matter moments, residents can get an alert with all the details.

Clay Wiggins, with the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, says their crime tips app allows deputies and residents to communicate.

“We can send that tipster a message back, and say thank you for that information. We happen to have this this and this, we have a possible tag number, what it looks like,” Wiggins said. 

You at home can remain anonymous. Sheriff Butch Reese thinks what matter’s most is making sure criminals are caught.

“A lot of times I say we’re not the smartest people, but the citizens give us information that help us solve a great deal of our crime,” Reese said. 

“Tips submit, and crime reports, we’re going to click crime reports first. It’s going to load up. It’s going to pull up your GPS information. So if you’re in Gray, it’ll pick up where you’re at,” Wiggins said. 

The app serves as a two way street. Once deputies file the report, people will get a text or an alert.

“We don’t list the specific address or the victims name, but they can see that there’s been a burglary there. They can pull up and see that maybe a deputy had a traffic stop, maybe a ticket issue,” Reese said. 

It’s a type of communication Sheriff Reese says will make the relationship between law enforcement and the community even better.

“We will continue doing the program, and those people that are doing it are confident that their identity is safe and it has helped us solved a lot of crimes, and we need all the help we can get,” Reese said. 

The sheriff’s office pays for the app using seized drug funds, so it doesn’t cost tax payers a dime.

Click here for a link to download the app.