The Hagerstown Police Department has released a new free app for people to communicate with them directly.

Have you ever gotten into a situation where it felt like something suspicious may have been going on, but you didn’t want to call 9-1-1?

Well, the see something, send something app allows you to send anonymous tips to the police and this allows them to watch the area.

“It gives us that ability to use technology to help out citizens to assist our people here,” Chief Victor Brito with the Hagerstown Police department said.

Officers with the Hagerstown Police Department had been searching for an app to effectively communicate with the public.

And now, they join 40 other agencies across the country, which use this app to bridge the gap.

“We’re a 112-man strong police department. The community is our 113th man,” Captain Paul Kifer with the Hagerstown Police Department.

Here’s how it works. Just download it and register. From there, you’ll get message alerts on emergencies, traffic issues, crime alerts, but that’s not all.

“If they have the app, they can send us the information. Not only can they shoot us text information, but video and photo information,” Chief Brito said.

“You can send me a text all you want. But if I get a text with what you’re seeing, and I see a picture or a video, I may be able to identify who that person is. Allows us to solve those cases a lot quicker,” Kifer said.

And allowing police to communicate with the public in real time to act on a situation ASAP.

“People always say ‘We don’t have enough cops. We don’t have enough cops.’ you become that cop when you send us information. You’re that extra cop for us,” Kifer said.

This app is just a tool so in an emergency, you should still call 9-1-1 right away.