Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office releases long-awaited app

BUCHANAN COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office's long-awaited app for smartphones, tablets, and other app-enabled devices has finally been released, offering a useful toolkit for those who live or work in Buchanan County.

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) app, built by The Sheriff App website, is now available for free on the Android and Apple App Stores. Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said the office can provide it for free thanks to decisions by the Buchanan County Commissioners using opioid settlement money the county received.

"I can't say enough that it was awesome that they were able to provide the funding," Puett shared. "That's why this doesn't cost our citizens anything, so that all this cost has been borne out of the opioid settlement money."

The BCSO stated the app will make it easier for citizens to access information and services at the Sheriff’s Office.

Some features listed by the office include instant, timely notifications of events or situations in the county; inmate search and lookup; and education and safety information on topics such as drugs, cyber safety, and avoiding scams.

This is set to include alerts for missing individuals in the area.

They stated version one also includes ways to report crime incidents directly to law enforcement, which can also be done anonymously. It also features ways to connect with key law enforcement personnel and to find information about their children's safety resource officer.

They also said they will update the app soon to include a scheduler, which will allow citizens to schedule appointments such as concealed weapon permit Renewal, Inmate Visitation, and Sex Offender Registry.

"If somebody is working midnights and that's the part of the day they function in, they're able to schedule and get things done (they could use the app whenever)," Puett said. "We're trying to push as much information and accessibility to the sheriff's office as we can."

For those viewing this story on a mobile device, click here for a link to your phone's app store to download the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office app.