A virtual Neighborhood Watch
MobilePatrol is an app that consolidates information for varying law enforcement and public safety organizations from across the country.
Localized Security Updates
MobilePatrol stores security data from many sources into one app.
MobilePatrol allows you to set up news feeds for geographical locations that are important to you. This is a great feature to keep up to date about your location.
You can choose to receive social media updates from agencies you are interested in, so all the information you care about is available at your fingertips. You can also use the app to report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities.
MobilePatrol is reliant on its partnerships with law enforcement and public safety agencies. Currently, they do not have agreements in place to cover the entire country. You should check to see if your area is covered before downloading the app.
Some portions of this program, such as arrest records, that should include images. These do not always download. It is not clear if this is a problem with the app, or if it is something that isn’t available from law enforcement agencies.
Besides download issues there are a couple of other quirks with this application. On launch, the app can display an error message stating that the servers are down. If this happens, you should restart this program because MobilePatrol servers aren’t the best and the server could be down, or there could be an issue connecting to server from your mobile device.
Where can you run this program?
MobilePatrol is available on Android devices using version 5.5.5 or newer, or Apple devices using a minimum of iOS 9.2 and later.
Is there a better alternative?
No. There isn’t another product that attempts to provide coverage across the whole country for this type of service.
Our take
The idea behind this program is pretty neat – aggregating data from different sources to keep you informed about your location. It’s let down by poor execution and patchy availability of data.
Should you download it?
No. Until the developers have resolved performance and data coverage issues, then you shouldn’t use this app; instead, call 911.
