Family Watchdog worked with mobile application developer HandStorm and is launching StaySafe, the first iPhone and Android to deliver sex offender registry information to mobile devices in real-time.
Users of the app have access to information about offenders in their area and across the United States.
Designed by HandStorm, Inc., the app allows consumers to search for offenders in four ways: automatically based on the phone's location, by zip code or city name, by offender name, and by physical characteristics including height, weight and hair color.
StaySafe also analyzes the threat level at the phone's location, and delivers a concise summary so that users can quickly gauge their personal risk. Users can control the search area, allowing StaySafe to be effective in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
They offer these scenarios:
- House hunting? Don't move your kids next door to a dangerous sex offender.
- Are you planning on meeting a new friend? StaySafe
will show you all the offenders in your area that use similar names and
aliases. - Is
there a suspicious person at your park or near your school? Tell
StaySafe what that person looks like, and see all of the matching
offenders in your area. - Are your kids going to a friend's house to play or have a sleepover? Check the risk level first.
- Is there rental housing in your area, with a lot of people moving in and out? Your risk level can change daily.
- Are
you planning to try a new jogging trail or park? Many greenways are
secluded, and run behind homes and apartments. Know the risk before you
go.
Available at the Apple iTunes Store for $14.99, StaySafe is an
easy-to-use application that utilizes the iPhone's location awareness
to deliver location-based sex offender information. StaySafe works with
GPS-enabled iPhones, as well as first generation iPhones and iPod
Touches. Additionally, StaySafe is available for the T-Mobile G1 and
other Android devices, and can be purchased in the Android Marketplace.
For more information, visit staysafe.HandStorm.com or www.familywatchdog.us.
"We're proud to work with HandStorm to offer StaySafe, the first mobile
application to address this type of issue, and to take the next step in
our fight to provide the most up-to-date, detailed information to
protect consumers from registered sex offenders in their area and
nationally," said Steve Roddel, founder of Family Watchdog. "It was
clear from the beginning that HandStorm shared our commitment and
helped accelerate the delivery of consumers' mobile access to the
latest information that increases the safety of our families and loved
ones. With StaySafe, consumers can now feel informed, empowered and
safe in any location."
"HandStorm recognized consumers' need to access Family Watchdog's
important Web site information at anytime, anywhere and the solution
was a powerful and useful mobile application," said Dwayne Williams,
president of HandStorm, Inc. "Increasingly, organizations and companies
are looking to mobilize their product or service, and in the case of
Family Watchdog and their unique mission of providing awareness and
enabling safety, there is a natural and critical need for consumers to
easily access a large amount of data from around the nation. StaySafe
responds to that need by packaging the collected data and mobile
accessibility into an inexpensive useful application."