Want to report a crime and attach a photo with the evidence? Commend a deputy for good work? Volunteer? Find out who's wanted or missing? See who's in jail?
It's all right there, accessible with the tap of a finger, on the new Washington County Sheriff's Office free application for mobile devices.
"Everything is about the electronics these days," said Sheriff Bill Hutton. "People want the immediacy, the knowledge, they want the connections. Some of it is serious, some is lighthearted, most of it is just information sharing."
The new app is just the latest in a Sheriff's Office initiative to meet and greet Washington County residents through social media and face-to-face conversations. A Facebook page has 3,800 fans, new community events such as "Coffee with a Cop" and "Safe Summer Night" have begun, and outreach such as an opening-to-closing presence at the county fair has engaged hundreds of people.
Last week, Hutton and his entire command staff made appearances at dozens of community Night to Unite events to talk with citizens they serve.
"How else do we get better?" Hutton asked.
Patrol Commander Brian Mueller developed the mobile app — "solely our own" — through a private company. A "social media team" being assembled in the Sheriff's Office will keep information current and look for new ways of engaging residents, he said.
"We're excited because everybody carries a mobile device," Mueller said. "We're really trying to embrace it. This is the age we live in. If our citizens are savvy in all the uses of social media, that means we need to be. It's a changing dynamic and another way for us to connect with them."
