Using Mobile Technology for Violence Prevention Efforts

Historically, when people experienced emergency situations, all they could rely upon was the old fashioned telephone, restrained by a cord attached to the wall. Victims of violence reached for the phone as their primary resource to seek protection, shelter, and potentially life-saving information. Additionally, emergency personnel utilized the same "tethered" phone system as a means to communicate with external partners when planning and executing a planned response to a crisis. A busy phone line could result in death. Agencies responsible for responding to emergency situations were only accessible during general business hours even though emergencies occur on a 24/7/365 cycle. However, this is changing as modern technology provides an alternative method to crisis response. Now, with the development of mobile technology, victims of violence and emergency response personnel have the ability to send texts, photos, take videos, send emails and/or transmit their coordinates to participating agencies in real-time regardless of location, distance and/or time. Moreover, mobile technology has an intuitive operating system that captures the internet in nearly any location, allowing victims and emergency personnel immediate access to resources and information to resolve the imminent crisis. Furthermore, if the responding emergency agency is required to notify other agencies, then mobile technology provides immediate access to adequately communicate and coordinate services. Through mobile technology, agencies are alerted instantly when a violent crisis emerges. This reduces the delays caused by fragmented communication and misguided notifications.