BROOKS COUNTY, Texas — Brooks County officials are investing in a new crime fighting tool that will give victims a way to record video and audio during a domestic violence incident.
The footage would automatically be sent to law enforcement and all it takes is a simple click of an app.
The Victim Initialed System (VIN) application allows any victim of domestic violence to simply activate the app and it will begin recording video and audio of a verbal or physical attack. It sends all of that information along with a location straight to law enforcement officials.
Brooks County Attorney David Garcia said he feels the app can prevent situations from escalating into possibly fatal cases.
"I know we just saw the tragedy of the police officer over in Kingsville, where a police officer lost his life responding to a domestic violence call. I think this app is going to go a long way in preventing that situation," Garcia said.
Brooks County officials held a news conference Wednesday spotlighting the app, which is going to cost them $10,000 a year. Officials believe that it's money well spent.
"It has the law enforcement officers and the victim on the same page within seconds," Garcia said. "When dispatch gets this, they're going to get the name of the victim, they're going to get the case number for the protective order if there's any. They're going to get GPS coordinates to where the victim is located."
The individuals behind the app said that it has been tested in Hidalgo County for the past year and seems to be doing its job.
Rosie Martinez, Hidalgo County Regional Justice Center Consultant, said the app can help those who experience domestic abuse gather evidence against their perpetrators.
"With this app all they have to do is press a button and it sends a live stream video in real time of what's happening at that moment in the house," Martinez said. "We have seen that it does serve as a deterrent, because now when we started shelling out this app in Hidalgo County as a pilot program, we saw victims felt safer now and they didn't have to be hiding."
Garcia said that the app will be used in courtrooms to help seal up cases that could end up being a case of hearsay.
Juan Cano, application creator for Justice Alert Technology, said he feels that his product is going to make a big difference in domestic violence cases.
"If we can help law enforcement, if we can send a 30-second video so it can give law enforcement insight of what they're walking into, I believe that's very valuable," Cano said. "Very valuable to law enforcement, to the victim, and to those who are responding."
3News was told that the app is already installed at the Brooks County dispatch center. Domestic violence victims who have a protective order in place are being called to see if they would like to have the app placed on their phone for free.
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