Lompoc police app keeping a community safe

It’s a unique way of policing a community. The Lompoc Police App is a free tool for people to turn to and find out what’s happening in their neighborhood. Lompoc Police say it’s been downloaded nearly 14,000 times.

“It’s allowed us to have more interaction with the public,” says Sgt Kevin Martin, Public Information Officer with the Lompoc Police Department.

It’s interaction Sgt. Martin says is key. The app launched just more than a year ago and it’s allowed community to help out the police department.

“More importantly it’s giving us eyes in the community that’s the best thing it can do for us,” he says.

When people download the app they can find out about events the police are hosting. It also keeps people in the loop about suspects police are looking for and investigations they are conducting.

“If we are in a major swat operation, we can actually send out a text to all the users to let them know to avoid this area,” says Sgt. Martin.

People in Lompoc say it’s a good way to keep them informed about things they wouldn’t otherwise know about.

“I think it’s a really good way, unfortunately not everyone get to watch the news at set times, we struggle to know what’s going on in our community,” says Cassandra Loveless, a Lompoc Resident.

Police say the app has proven to be successful. It has lead them to a number of tips that have helped them during their investigations

“It’s going to help protect us,” says Loveless.

Police say the app has been opened more than 175,000 times by users. They plan to continue to use this as a tool to keep the public informed