SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Your child gets lost in a crowded area. A suspicious stranger approaches you. You witness a car accident. What do you do? Well, there's now an app for all of that. And Elizabeth Smart is endorsing it.
Smart tells ABC 4 News that "Little by little the app has evolved into what it is today." Smart says she is putting her support behind a new "Hero" app because it allows you to send an immediate group message to people all around you. "You can send it out where you are and it will go out within a five mile radius. Anyone who has the app will receive that notification."
Smart, who sadly knows all about child abduction, says in child's disappearance its all about reaction time. "The longer a child disappears, the longer a child is gone for - the less likely they are to be found." And she says the "Hero" app cuts down on the passing of time.
George Matus, one of the app creators, says the new technology allows someone in an emergency to send a message that goes out to all their social media friends and anyone else with the app within a five mile radius. Matus says it basically takes advantage of the trend in technology. "The internet brought us computers, Facebook brought them all together, but now crowd sourcing, an app like Hero, actually utilizes the crowd."
Both Matus say the app isn't just for abductions. It can be used if a pet disappears. He says it can help if something like a bicycle is stolen. And he adds you could use it if you find yourself with a flat tire in a dark street and need help. "They get notification within seconds. So, they can see your video and audio and location."
For more on the app and how to get it for your smart phone follow this link.
http://www.apptooth.com/hero/The app is free to download, but security features will cost about $10 per year or a $1 per month.
