Citizen, the app that makes everyone a crime reporter, now wants to track down helicopters. The company announced today that it is launching helicopter tracking in the app, which will explain to users why there are planes overhead.
The team tells The Verge that they are using a 24/7 group to review 911 communications, and now they will also review data on police helicopters. Like any other information about Citizen, users can add their own videos and comments about the incident, while Citizen confirms it at the end of it. If possible, the team will include a ‘related incident’ for a helicopter viewing that will better explain the situation. This way, if the helicopter is related to a missing person, for example, the report will be linked.
The helicopter tool is the latest in Citizen’s arsenal in its quest to become the place where people get all their local crime information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it introduced an in-app contact tracing tool and according to the company, more than 7 million sign-ups have been seen since its launch in 2017.