#65, New Phone App

Recently, we launched a new custom smartphone application to enhance the connection between our office and Orange County residents and visitors. Our goal is to make it easier for users to learn about our work, request various services, and communicate with our staff.

TheSheriffApp.com, a brand of OCV, LLC., specializes in mobile app development for sheriffs’ offices and public safety organizations across the country. They worked with our communications staff to develop an app that provides quick access to items of public interest and is simple to use. In just a few clicks, users can find answers to frequently asked questions, learn about fingerprinting, express interest in employment, apply for many of the services we offer, submit a tip, commend or complain about an employee, learn about detention center policies, access our social media posts, and read our press releases.

According to OCV Partner and CRO Kevin Cummings, “Over 80 percent of people in the United States own and use smartphones as their primary means of communication. Mobile apps offer agencies a better way to alert, inform, and prepare the public. Apps allow public safety agencies the ability to reach and serve their citizens where they are: their smartphones.”

A notification bar sits at the top of the home page. This tool helps us push important information straight to subscribers’ mobile devices. In addition to automatic alerts from the National Weather Service, users receive our press releases, crime news, and traffic alerts. We believe community members will benefit from receiving important news in a timely manner directly on their phones, and when relevant, we will pair the written content with photos of, for example, road hazards and traffic conditions. The app also contains convenient, direct links to our social media pages.

The first two feature buttons in the app, the FAQ section and the Submit a Tip option, sit right under the notification bar. This placement is deliberate. We want users to find answers to common inquiries and efficiently report information about crime, traffic, illegal activity, or share concerns about the safety of our students and schools.

Many of the feature buttons on our old app merely directed users to the relevant section of our web page. Unfortunately, that page, currently undergoing revision, became rather text heavy over the years. Often a person would end up viewing a PDF, which can be cumbersome to navigate on a small screen. We wanted user-friendly content on our new app; most of it is native to the program and does not require routing people to the web to find what they need. We hope navigating the app is intuitive, with information organized into clear, concise, and understandable chunks. We also want people to locate information where they expect it might be, not only where we think it fits best. For example, although the app has a designated fingerprinting section on the home screen, we also included information about that service in the FAQ section. Likewise, our detention center is still a relatively new facility. Information about its location is included within the Detention feature button, the Sheriff’s Welcome section, and in the FAQ area.

We are particularly pleased with the Property Catalog, as we know most people struggle to stay organized and keep up with purchase dates, serial numbers, and the value of their possessions. But when people call us about lost or stolen property, we need that information to increase the likelihood of recovery. With the click of a button and a few keystrokes, app users can input the name and relevant details about their valuables into a private catalog and add photos to the file. In the event of a stolen vehicle, the user can share the VIN and license plate numbers, an image, and any other relevant info with the responding deputy without delay instead of searching for the records at home or calling the Department of Motor Vehicles. This tool is also great for storing serial numbers of televisions, chain saws, computers, etc.

The free app is now available for download from the App Store and Google Play by searching for “Orange County Sheriff, NC” or by clicking here. Be sure you include NC in your search; many other states also have Orange Counties. Or better yet, point your phone’s camera at the QR code below for a direct download.

Please explore the app and help us improve it by providing feedback. Contact Alicia Stemper, our communications manager, with your suggestions at (919) 245-2963 or email her at astemper@orangecountync.gov.