AUGUSTA, Ga () – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is harnessing the power of technology to enhance its service to the community. Their latest initiative, the “MySheriff” app, is part of a growing trend among sheriff’s offices nationwide, including those in Burke and Aiken Counties, which are adopting similar tools.

According to Sheriff Gino Brantley, “This app allows us, as a law enforcement agency, to improve communication with the public, enhance community safety, and increase operational efficiency.” The app is designed to streamline the way the sheriff’s office interacts with citizens, making crucial information more accessible.

One of the key benefits of the MySheriff app is its ability to quickly disseminate important updates to the community. Sheriff Brantley noted, “This app will enable us to share official information such as safety alerts and road closures promptly. It also empowers citizens to submit tips, access resources, and stay informed about local issues.”

By integrating this technology, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office aims to foster a more engaged and informed community, ensuring that vital information reaches residents in a timely manner. Through these efforts, they hope to build stronger ties with the public and enhance overall safety and efficiency in law enforcement operations.

“This app will allow us to disseminate official information like safety alerts and road closures while allowing citizens to submit tips, access resources and stay informed,” said Sheriff Brantley.

Sergeant Cameron Hampton set up the app. He said people will be able to use it to submit anonymous tips that cannot be traced back to them.

“It gives you a choice. You can do anonymous or you can put in your information. When we get the tip, we can send you an alert saying that your tip has been received. We are looking into it. And then at the end, once we’ve looked into it and we’ve done everything we could with the tip, we send you another notification that it has been closed down,” he explained. “If you do anonymous, that’s it. Once you send it, it’s as soon as we get it, that’s it. We don’t know who it came from. There’s no IP tracking, nothing like that.”

The app is not intended to be used for emergencies.

“If it is an emergency, please call 911. Now while you are submitting a crime tip, if all of a sudden the situation turned sideways and it becomes an emergency, there is a button there…it’s a big red button right there while you’re submitting the crime tip that you can push and it will call 911,” said Sgt. Hampton.

The sheriff’s office says they are excited to roll the app out and believes it will be a benefit to law enforcement and the community.

“This app can do so much. And we’re just really, really excited about just that direct line with the community,” Sgt. Hampton said.

The MySheriff app will go live on Friday but you can go ahead and download it now. It is available on Apple and Google Play.

Here’s how to find and download it. Go to the App store or Google play and type “MySheriff” into the search bar. Click on the MySheriff app with the star. Download the app then open it when it’s finished. You can turn on location finder for the app and you will be given the option to click on the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. If you don’t use the location services, then type in the zip code where it prompts you to, and you will be given the link to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Photojournalist: Reggie Mckie.