The app -- simply called "Palo Alto Police Department Mobile" -- is available for free in the Apple App and Google Play stores.
The app was created for the police department by Sunnyvale-based software developer MobilePD. It brings together information already shared through different channels but with new features and functionality.
Press releases, crime maps and alerts will be shared through the app. Users can also submit crime tips or visit the police department's Twitter and Facebook accounts with a single click.
"We are excited to play a role in connecting the Palo Alto community with their police department," MobilePD Chief Executive Officer Kushyar Kasraie said in a news release Tuesday. "We believe that applications like this build bridges between people and their local government."
Police Chief Dennis Burns called the app a "one-stop shop" for information from the force.
"It's another way for us to be as transparent as we can, and it gives us another method to put news and critical public safety updates right in the hands of anyone who may want it," he said.
©2014 the Palo Alto Daily News (Menlo Park, Calif.)
