Friday, February 03, 2012

Blog #3: CrimePush app helps you report crime, but it's still in beta

The creation of the crime push app appeared in the iTunes store and the Android’s Marketplace February 1, 2012. The crime push app was created by Shayan Pahlevani after being held at gunpoint on the streets of Washington D.C. This app gives owners of smart phones an advantage in contacting police officers or by receiving medical assistance from hospitals. However, the crime push app is not in full of effect as of today. There are adjustments being made to the connections with the app and the headquarters of the emergency contacts. Furthermore, officials are telling users that have downloaded the app to still use the 9-1-1 emergency contact in case of an emergency because the headquarters are not receiving alerts sent from the app.
The availability of this app is going to shift society to another level. One reason to support this hypothesis is that the moment crime related activity happens, a push of a button will allow faster reactions from emergency headquarters. Audio and videos can be recorded as well, allowing the recordings to be evidence in a crime scene. There are some constraints on this app because it is only available to those who own a smart phone. This creates an inequality between owners of the smart phone and the people who do not own a smart phone. Moreover, crime appears in low income neighborhoods more often than higher income neighborhoods. Most low income neighborhoods can’t afford a smart phone, therefore, creating a disadvantage on their part. Conclusively, I support the app in many aspects but I question the legitimacy of reducing crime in low income level neighborhoods.

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