Jalisco state authorities have launched a “Panic Button” (boton de panico) smart phone app that can be used in real time to report emergencies.
The app immediately connects the user with the state’s central emergency command center, or Centro Integral de Comuniciaciones.
According to Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer Ramirez, within seconds the caller will be reconnected to the pertinent emergency service – police agency, Red Cross, Fire Department, etcetera.
Almaguer said the caller’s geolocation will be immediately recorded, allowing the appropriate service to get to the scene in the shortest time possible.
Almaguer said he hopes one of the main uses of the app will be to reduce incidents of crime on public transport in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
Misuse of the app, or creating false alarms, may lead to prosecution, he warned.
The app is free and currently available only on Android platforms, via Google Play. IOS users will be able to download the app in about a month’s time.