Stratford Residents to Be Armed with Mobile App

The Stratford Police Department plans to launch a new crime-fighting tool next week that will literally put the onus in the hands of residents.

The iWatch Stratford mobile app won’t be an alternative to dialing 911, stresses Stratford Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour.

But it will be “another tool to get information and start investigations,” he says.

Ridenhour says if there’s an ongoing problem in a neighborhood, which is not urgent but warrants a followup, residents could use the app to submit a tip.

The police chief says the idea came from the Bridgeport Police Department, which has had some success with the app since introducing it about a year ago.

The department used federal grant money to purchase the program, says Ridenhour. It’s free to download and use.