Wichita police, college students develop app to improve communication with officers

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The Wichita Police Department, along with students at Wichita State University, developed an app to improve communication with officers. The partnership between the WPD and the WSU students created the app called “PD Share,” which helps to remove communication barriers.

“If you need resources, we can put those right in your phone. We can send several resources to you at a time,” WPD Captain Christian Cory said. “It’s almost like, you load up a shopping cart and you deliver it and it comes to your phone. You’re like, ‘hey, there’s my detective’s number.’ I can click there and I can have my phone call that detective section.”

Cory said he wanted to make it easier for people to get help from officers and he took the idea to WSU engineering students.

“The innovation they have, the entrepreneurship they have, they came up with these features on these apps that we couldn’t think of,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to keep building this out and making it better for our agency and ultimately better (for) citizens of Wichita

Captain Cory said it’s also a safer way to communicate with victims in sensitive situations.

“If they know they have a safer email account that may be away from the abuser, the offender, then that gives us several options on things to do like that,” he said.

Cory discussed what the improved communication means for the WPD, saying the technology helps to “break down the red tape,” and “the barriers of bureaucracy.”

“It gets you the resources right to your phone,” he said.

All WPD officers are using the PD Share app. The department said it will continue developing the technology with WSU students.

Copyright 2022 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com