Smartphone Application - Video

Did you know we have a smartphone app! Keep up with events, receive emergency notifications, report unsafe campus behavior, and more! Find us in your app store by searching for Mount Pleasant Police!

Safe Campus Video

Mount Pleasant, SC – The Mount Pleasant Police Department added a section to their free smartphone application called Safe Campus. This form allows anyone to anonymously send information to the police department regarding behavior that could be considered harmful to the school, a student, or a staff member. Cario Middle School created a form two years ago that was the inspiration to expand this service to all students in Mount Pleasant.

“Students can report bullying, threats of violence, threats of vandalism, or any criminal act that could threaten the safety of one of their campuses,” says Chief Carl Ritchie. “They can also report anything on their campus that may be a safety concern such as a fire extinguisher missing, an unlocked gate, or a door that is not properly secured.”

Users have the option of furnishing the police department with their name and contact information but it is not required to submit the information. “The only information required is a description of what they saw or heard,” says Inspector Chip Googe. “You have the option to remain anonymous.”

Towards the bottom of the form there is an option to attach a photo with your submission. This is useful if someone sees a photograph or threat online as they can then send a screenshot of the harmful behavior or threat. The form is sent immediately to the School Resource Officers, and their supervisors, for follow-up.

“This is a great example of the strong partnership between two outstanding community assets; our volunteer parents at schools and our police department,” says Council Member Kevin Cunnane. “Their commitment to keeping our children and teachers safe is second to none! I am thankful for the willingness of these two groups to expand upon a successful program at one school and make it town-wide.”

If the user is reporting behavior that is likely to cause harm to someone in the immediate future, please call 911 or 843-743-7200 to report the information. “We do not want this form to be used if someone is currently harming someone or if the harm is likely to happen within a short time frame,” says Inspector Googe. “Calling 911, alerting a school administrator, or calling the police dispatch line are the best options for situations that are imminent.”

Download the App on your Smartphone:

iPhone Users - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/town-mt-pleasant-police-department/id702959880?ls=1&mt=8

Android Users - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netgalaxystudios.tomppd

Smartphone Application and Social Media

Last September the Mount Pleasant Police Department released their smartphone application for iOS and Android. Since being released, the app has played a crucial role in distributing information and the Mount Pleasant Police Department would like to see more citizens take advantage of this technology. “This app is the quickest way for us to get critical information out to our citizens regarding situations that may affect them,” Inspector Chip Googe said. “We would like to see as many residents and businesses as possible take advantage of the information sent out via push notifications.” Being able to access the information directly on your smart phone keeps citizens updated even when they are not near their home telephone.

“Citizens can also view crime reports, send in tips of criminal activity and keep up with some of our social media efforts all from within our app,” Googe said.

Along with the app, the police department has moved further into the area of social media by adding several more platforms to their information sharing efforts. “We started out with Twitter about 5 years ago which works really well for getting information out to the public quickly but we also wanted different ways to connect with our citizens,” Googe said. “That is why we have now included Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Vine into our communications efforts.” Each one of these social media platforms provides the police department a different way to share information as well as allow them to reach more people.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department social media links:

www.facebook.com/mountpleasantpd

www.twitter.com/mountpleasantpd

www.instagram.com/mountpleasantpolice

www.youtube.com/user/MtPleasantPD/

https://vine.co/Mount.Pleasant.Police.Dept

For more information contact Inspector Chip Googe at cgooge@tompsc.com