New Technology Helps You Stay Informed, Report Crime

Have you ever wondered why our sheriff’s helicopter Air One is flying over your house late at night? Or circling woods off I-4 on a hot afternoon?

Now you can find out easily, just by using your smart phone and technology to get these answers in real time, as incidents are actually happening.

Your Volusia Sheriff’s Office has introduced a free mobile app called SaferWatch. This communication tool helps you report an incident, a non-emergency, or a tip to law enforcement. You can even share videos and photos, text, and audio files with first responders.
In today’s world, faster is better— providing accurate and timely information is more important than ever to help us help you and our community.

Here’s how it works:
When you contact the Sheriff’s Office through SaferWatch, the app sends your location and your user profile to our Communications Center (911 dispatch), which uses that information to direct law enforcement, fire, or medical help your way.

By the way, SaferWatch doesn’t re- place calling 911 in an emergency. It does enhance the kind of information you can share instantly using the app and help save the life of a victim or first responder.

Using this app, you can also select locations that you care about—such as your city, school, government building, shopping mall, entertainment venue, or Volusia County as a whole—and re-ceive real-time safety alerts about major incidents and in-progress calls.

To get the SaferWatch app, visit www.saferwatchapp.com/volusia/ or go onto our new Sheriff’s Office website’s home page at www.volusiasheriff.org and find the link on the main slider. Just download the app— it’s available for free on the App Store and Google Play for iPhones and An-droid phones.

In addition, I want to remind you of a couple of other important resources on our website:

OffenderWatch is another free app on our website, which allows users to find out where registered sex offenders live within a specific area and access details about each offender. If installed on a child’s phone, this app also lets parents and guardians track their child’s location. In addition, the app alerts users if a registered sex offender moves into a nearby residence.

To get the OffenderWatch app, go to: www.offenderwatch.com/safe-vir tual-neighborhood/ or find the link under Serving The Community on the home page at www.volusiasheriff.org It’s available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

Text to 911 service is available for anyone who has a hearing impairment or can’t safely make a 911 call. Anyone can send a text message to 911 to use this service.

I can’t say enough about this latest technology and how it can enhance citizens’ sense of security. The Volusia Sheriff’s Office is committed to keeping everyone safe. Together we can do that, through apps like SaferWatch and your help.

Stay safe everyone,
Sheriff Mike Chitwood