The Ripon Police Department is going mobile.

Well, mobile application anyways.

Last week, the agency advertised the most recent technological addition to its quiver – an Android and Apple mobile application that will allow residents to quickly and efficiently submit crime tips and other information and create better communication between the agency and those it serves.

The app, which has been live for several months, replaces a mobile application that the agency already had – providing more detail to residents about the things that are going in their community.

Those that access the app will have updated information about recent arrests in town, news and information that the agency provides on social media, a list of all programs and services the agency provides with links to relevant information, and even a link to the agency’s crime maps.

While residents will have the ability to submit a tip about something illegal that may be occurring, the Ripon Police stressed that it should not be used during emergency situations – anybody experiencing an emergency should still call 911.

But with smartphones becoming the norm in modern society, the app gives the agency a potential place on people’s phones where they can access information quickly and easily.

While apps like the one the Ripon Police Department is using serve more as a graphical interface with links to information already published on its website, the approach is a way to get that information out to people in a way that will make it easier for them to use it – an approach that lots of other local municipalities and government agencies have utilized recently.

And some of the apps even have law enforcement implications.

The “Nail ‘Em” app, which is used by Manteca and other local jurisdictions, allows residents to take photographs of people using illegal fireworks that are instantly geotagged showing the location where it is occurring. That approach puts the power for enforcement in the hands of the residents themselves – those that have been verified by law enforcement to have broken the law on the app could potentially receive a citation in the mail.

To access the new Ripon Police Department mobile application, visit the App Store on either an Android or an Apple smartphone and search for Ripon Police Department.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.