New app built in Dayton to help crime victims

App is unveiled today at the University of Dayton Research Institute.

The University of Dayton Research Institute and Family Services of Miami Valley unveiled a new mobile app today they say can assist crime victims.

“The app allows users to quickly connect to a wide variety of support resources and service providers within their local communities,” said Bonnie Parish, executive director of Family Services of Miami Valley.

Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl is scheduled to speak at the demonstration.

Work on the app was funded through a $238,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Developed by UDRI’s Software Systems group, the idea was to create an app that will allow users to quickly connect with local law enforcement, medical services, counselors, financial resources, and other organizations that can provide support to a victim after a crime.

Jason Erret, senior software engineer in UDRI’s Software Systems group, told the Dayton Daily News in 2014 that the Justice Department was looking for a system that could better address the needs of victims from a local perspective.

Family Services and UDRI hope to extend the service to all of southwest Ohio and, eventually, to the nation.

“Knowledge is one of the most powerful assets to victims of crime,” Bonnie Parish, executive director of Family Services, said in 2014. “This project will allow us to provide additional means to support people who are feeling vulnerable and need assistance but don’t know where to find it.”

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