NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Comal County Commissioners have unanimously agreed to develop a new app designed to enhance communication between the sheriff’s office and residents.
Sheriff Mark Reynolds said, “This is something that we’ve been looking at for some time.”
The app aims to provide a more direct and concise form of communication, bringing the resources of the sheriff’s office directly to residents’ mobile phones.
“This app will basically bring the resources and the entire disposal of the sheriff’s office to the hands of those people that have mobile phones…anything that our website can do, the app will be able to do,” Reynolds said.
The app will be managed by various departments within the sheriff’s office and will offer access to jail records, contact information, and optional alerts for up-to-date community notifications.
“Maybe it’s fraud alerts, scam alerts, road closures…if we have an accident, that either is something that’s going to interrupt traffic flow or, you know, completely shut down.
The deputies and personnel here at the office can interact with that, and it would actually send out an alert to those that are subscribed to it, saying, here’s what’s going on,” Reynolds explained.
The app’s development cost of $27,000 is largely covered by donations, minimizing taxpayer expense.
Reynolds assured that there will be no charge for using the service. The app is currently in development and could be available for iPhones and Android devices in as soon as 45 days.
“We’re hoping that it again will open up a whole new interaction with, you know, the people that live in the county and come to visit,” Reynolds said.
