New smartphone application allows people to report crimes to authorities

(CBS) NEW YORK - New York State Senator Eric Adams, a former New York police captain, announced on Sunday a smartphone app that will allow people to report suspected crimes, CBS New York reports.

Adams' "Brooklyn Quality of Life" application allows users to email photos or recorded messages with their iPhones and Android smartphones. The anonymous emails go to a group of retired detectives who decide whether the content should be posted on a Facebook page accessible only to members of city agencies.

"We're bringing crime-fighting into the app age," Adams said.

Adams likened the app to having a community watch group right on your cell phone. He said it is not meant to be a replacement for 911, but rather an outlet for the "many people who are afraid or intimidated," by police.