An app called “Neighbors” will now be utilized by the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office to help citizens throughout the county stay informed about crime and safety concerns in their area.

The Neighbors app, from Ring, is free for anyone to download on their mobile devices and lets users know when certain crime occurs, suspicious activity exists, or if there are safety alerts in their neighborhoods.

The app can also anonymously share real-time information with other users in their area as well as the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office. No matter what security camera system you use, a user can share video footage, which will assist investigators in identifying vehicles, people and suspicious activity.

“The benefits of this interactive app will help keep our communities safer by providing pertinent information to our citizens in a very efficient and effective manner,” said Crow Wing County Sheriff Scott Goddard. “By participating in this program, I’m confident our county will be better connected and those who seek to commit a crime will be deterred knowing that their illegal activity will likely be caught on the camera systems many of our households now utilize.”

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office also encourages citizens to register the existence of their camera system with the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office through their Community Camera Watch program. Information on these programs is available through the Crow Wing County website.

By — Chaz Mootz