Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/74973
SPECIAL REPORT Law-Enforcement iPhone Apps Technology has helped law enforce- ment plenty along the way, and now police officers with smartphones can help themselves to endless information and tools for their jobs with the many apps being created specifically for them—and even with those that aren't. LAW- ENFORCEMENT iPHONE APPS By Yesenia Salcedo Technology brings major knowledge into tiny apps. A 1. U.S. Cop ($3.99) Available for iPhone and Android pps aren't just for games anymore. The trend of creat- ing apps for everyday use has ex- ploded and today you can find apps on almost everything, including weather, sports, dating, job search, social networking, maps / directions and TV / movies. Many companies are even developing apps for their employees that aid them in their daily work. Law enforcement is one area where staying on top of new technology is critical, as it can save lives—citizens and officers alike. Therefore it's no wonder that many apps for police officers have been developed and are being used every- day to assist officers in their daily roles. Here's a list of our favorites. U.S. Cop is a multi-tool app offering re- sources any street officer could use, in- cluding accident investigation formulas; brake efficiency; narrative templates; different tire-size speed calculator; view GPS coordinates for crash reports; LiDAR test instructions; Warrant PUR guide- lines. Also available are training articles regarding detecting concealed weapons, pluralistic ignorance, interview and inter- rogation, detecting deception, rookie drug interdiction mistakes, Drug Recognition Expert training, and more. You'll find case law resources for probable cause search and arrest as well as many other topics. A pill identifier gives you the ability to figure out what kind of pills your suspect is carrying. You'll also have the ability to take a photo and have a date / time stamp, GPS location and address appear in the photo's top margin for evidence. Photos can be stored and organized in a folder system that also allows the photos to be e-mailed, MMS or deleted. There's 42 LAW and ORDER I July 2012 even an integrated work calendar to maintain your rotating work schedule. 2. Field Contact ($4.99) This app is a great technologically ad- vanced and convenient way to document, photograph, search and share all aspects of your law enforcement contacts directly to your iPhone. Field Contact makes it simple to enter all pertinent I.D. infor- mation directly to your iPhone: names, addresses, vehicle information, aliases, lo- cation of incident, etc., and the advanced search features allow you to recall stored contacts. You can add new contacts with numer- ous law enforcement-specific data fields, and specific data fields have predefined options allowing the user to scroll to his / her desired choice. Miscellaneous fields in the physical description, vehicle and stop locations for user defined information. It also offers the ability to enter multiple vehicles, scars, marks or tattoos, subject related locations and stop locations for each single person. An Android version is in the works. 1.