OTTAWA, Ohio (WLIO) — The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is launching a new smartphone app aimed at keeping residents and visitors better informed.
Putnam County Sheriff Brian Siefker said the app is designed to help the sheriff’s office stay connected with the public quickly, accurately and conveniently. Features include the ability to submit anonymous tips, view jail roster information, find resources for mental health and addiction services, and receive real-time emergency alerts.
The app’s provider also developed software for the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS. The system allows agencies such as the sheriff’s office to isolate a specific area of the county — for example, during a weather alert or in cases involving a missing adult or child — and send an emergency message to every phone within that area.
“We're trying to put as much information out there as we can, try to be transparent and get some feedback from them. What I'm asking is, please download this app and give it a try and give us some feedback. Tell us what you think. I wish we had it a little bit earlier when we had all these snow emergencies. That would probably would have saved a lot of phone calls from our dispatchers asking, Hey, what level are we at so this would have pushed all those snow emergency levels out right to them,” says Sheriff Brian Siefker, Putnam County.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office app is available for download in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Residents can also access the app by scanning the QR code provided by the sheriff’s office.
