NY debuts “See Something, Send Something” app

The app, dubbed “See Something, Send Something”, allows people across the state to send photos and information of suspicious-looking people and activities to officials with the tap of a screen.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the “see something, send something” app on Monday.

The governor’s statement continued, “We have stepped up our preparedness in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, and we continue to remain vigilant against those who seek to spread fear and violence”. The premise is simple enough: if you see anything suspicious, you tap the app, and it lets you take a photo or tap out a note and send it right to police.

See Something, Send Something is already used in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Colorado, and Virginia, but with New York’s position as one of the most populous states in the country and its all-too-familiar personal history with terrorism, the app’s implementation in the Big Apple may be its biggest test yet. Last week, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing 132 people in the French capital, and threatened attacks on NY City and Washington, DC.

“We have had the Say Something See Something campaign for a long time, and it is now time to enhance that with See Something Send Something”, said John Melville, commissioner of state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. The Officers are included in the MTA’s 2016 Final Proposed Budget and will have an impact of approximately $3 million.

Officers working in heavily trafficked transit areas “are taught to immediately engage, pin down and neutralize any potential threat in order to minimize casualties”, Cuomo’s office said in a press release.

MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said, “The MTA Police Department is a robust force of more than 700 officers dedicated to protecting our region’s rail transportation, and these dozens of new officers will bolster our regular counterterrorism patrols of high-visibility terminals”. They will then review the tip and if it’s a major threat, will call in additional law enforcement.