(FOX 13) - If you see something, it just became easier to say something.
All Florida students now have access to the app Fortify Florida to report suspicious activity in a few simple steps.
"We walk you through how to report a tip,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi, who helped develop the app with the FDLE and other agencies. “We, of course, would like to have your name, but you can do it under the condition of anonymity."
Here's how it works:
- Open the app on your phone and click on the top button to report a tip.
- It will ask you if it’s an emergency. If it’s not, click “No” and it will pull up nearby schools, according to your location.
- Write out the tip. Be as specific as you’d like and you can also attach photos or videos.
- Before submitting it, you can include your name and contact information. The tip is pushed out to numerous sources.
"This will go out statewide,” Bondi said. “It will go to the district where the child is, it will go to the school system, to law enforcement, all of the law enforcement, school resource officers, all of the people in the school system, all at once."
Hunter Pollack, whose sister, Meadow was shot and killed in the Parkland School Shooting in February says, it would have been key in reporting violent behavior in suspect Nicholas Cruz’s past.
“Tips, red flags and tips leading up to that day,” Pollack said. “Yes, the app will work way better. When they report something it'll be in writing, and I think the police response to the app will be phenomenal and it will work great.”
Bondi says, after meeting Parkland survivors, some of which were graphic design students, she wanted them to play a role in its design.
"I said, 'You name the app, you design the icon and we're going to use it statewide,'” she said. “And they came back with their school colors and a megaphone and they named it Fortify Florida."
If you want to download the app, it's free in the Apple app store and Google Play. If you don't have a smartphone. Tips can also be submitted online at getfortifyfl.com.