ODPS offering ‘Safer Ohio’ phone app

Submitted information

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) is encouraging the public to download its “Safer Ohio” phone app, Ohio’s multi-function, mobile public safety tool for reporting suspicious activity, requesting emergency or roadside help and monitoring traffic conditions.

The Safer Ohio phone app is a component of the ODPS Safer Ohio Initiative. The app has the “See Something, Send Something” function that allows people to report information and send photos of suspicious activity to Ohio Homeland Security. Also available on the multi-functional app is a button for connecting with a 9-1-1 dispatcher, a function that dispatches the Ohio State Highway Patrol or other law enforcement officer to a non-emergency traffic situation, and connection with the Ohio Department of Transportation’s OH-GO application for real-time traffic reports throughout Ohio.

Those who are experiencing an emergency should always call 9-1-1 first.

“Through the Safer Ohio phone app, anyone in Ohio can provide critical information to our 24/7 public safety intelligence analysts that can potentially save lives and protect critical infrastructure,” said John Born, ODPS director. “This app also allows another way for the general public to connect with law enforcement to receive non-emergency assistance.”

The user-friendly app is available through the Apple App Store or on Google Play.