Saved By Smartphone: Mobile App Tells of Local Criminal Threats

CHICAGO - Nov. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- Chicago, Illinois – Smartphone apps are used for everything, but this one may save you from falling victim to crime. crowdfynd, a free mobile application that uses crowd-sourced reported info for City & Safety issues, harnesses the information shared by others in your area to keep you safe with directed notifications and incident mapping in real-time direct to your phone. Awareness of trouble lurking around you means greater chances of avoiding trouble.

Notifications are crucially important to safety, as they are a proactive measure rather than reactive. Here’s an example: Your walk home from the train or bus stop may be several blocks and take only a few minutes. However, you’ve heard that criminal activity is up in your area and you’d like to take precautions to falling victim. Just download the crowdfynd app and set customizable alerts to notify you whenever a crime occurs within 1-mile of your home (distance settings can adjust as needed) to be fully aware of your surroundings. If a crime or safety issue is reported within your alert zone, crowdfynd notifies you immediately. You now have important information to choose an alternate route, seek a chaperone or even communicate directly with the crowdfynd community member who posted the incident to see if things are resolved. Thanks to helpful tools like a live geo-tagged map and in-app messaging, you’ll stay informed and connected to the crowd around you to stay safe.

The concept for crowdfynd was born when Co-Founder and CEO Jay Sebben saw a missing persons flier while at a local Chicago coffee shop and wanted to help, but realized more could be done if others were aware.

“As I waited for my coffee, I couldn’t shake the fact that a flier was the best option the family had to spread the word about a potential crime. I wondered how many people would see the flier and forget about it the minute they left the coffee shop. With all the advances in technology in recent years, I knew there had to be a better way to share information and help people in distress.”

Jay then united with Co-Founder and CTO Pinaki Saha, to launch crowdfynd in April of 2013. crowdfynd is simple, effective and open to anyone with internet access or a smartphone. A community of users can create and share posts for lost items, found belongings or report criminal and suspicious activity. Using photos, detailed descriptions, social media integrations and real-time push notifications, crowdfynd arms users with the ability to keep themselves and other community members safe.

For more information on crowdfynd, visit https://www.crowdfynd.com or download the free crowdfynd app from the iTunes store today. crowdfynd’s Android app goes live in late-November 2014.

About crowdfynd
crowdfynd is is a free mobile and web-based application that uses crowdsourcing for Lost & Found and City & Safety reporting. Born in Chicago, crowdfynd has been featured in local and national news outlets such as TechCrunch, Time and Fox News. In the summer of 2013, crowdfynd was named a Top 5 start-up at TechWeek Chicago, the premier tech event in the Midwest.