DETROIT (WXYZ) — The makers of Omni Response say their new cell phone app can work as a shot spotter, detecting gunshots and making automatic GPS location reports to police.
They say it also can detect when the phone carrier has a serious health issue and falls. And after first responders are notified, they can turn the phone into a live webcam.
Barry Ellentuck tells 7 Action News, the app is being marketed to police and first responders here in metro Detroit next Tuesday and then everybody else later this summer.
“The phone will automatically detect and alert any kind of gunfire. More importantly it will detect if an officer has been impacted by any gunfire,” Ellentuck says.
Omni Response has produced videos showing how they’ve tested the app to differentiate gunfire from a firecracker of balloons popping.
Once a detection is made, police receive the notification on web-based software. And the makers say it can keep students safe during mass shootings.
The latest incident was this week in Colorado.
“We actually envision instead of giving teachers guns, give them a cell phone with this application. It will automatically notify the police when and if active shooter events happen in campuses, schools, stadiums,” Ellentuck says.
Police can then turn the phone into a live webcam with two-way audio communication to see what’s going on.
The app is only available now for Android and Keyocera not the iPhone. But the makers say that will be coming later this year.
The app is not cheap, $12 a month per phone.
We did a more detailed live video look on the station’s Facebook page.
