Protect OK App aims to prevent crime before it happens

ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) – Sarah Stewart with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety says you can help keep your community safe by reporting anything unusual you see right from your fingertips.

“The hope is that you never ever have to use this app, but if you do, its right there, its easy, you can remain anonymous, and you can potentially get life saving information to law enforcement,” Stewart said.

The Protect OK app allows users to report any suspicious activity, threat or crime directly to law enforcement without giving out any personal information.

“It makes it super simple, super easy for someone to give us a tip about suspicious activity,” Stewart stated.

The app also features safety alerts, emergency contacts as well as a GPS feature that can share your location with first responders during an emergency.

“You can also upload pictures or video, so lets say someone posted something threatening or suspicious on a social media post, you can screenshot that and upload that,” Stewart said.

Stewart says the app can also be used to report school related threats that can be prevented ahead of time.

“Law enforcement trains and know how to respond to these active shooter situations, and we want to get ahead of that, how do we prevent them? “This is a key part of preventing these from ever happening in the first place,” Stewart said.

She says your tip can help make Oklahoma safer.

“If you’re wrong about something, if it turns out to be nothing, that’s okay, but if it does turn out to be something, you can play a key role in preventing something from happening,” Stewart added.

You can download the Protect OK app for free on both Google Play and the Apple store.