We don't believe in secret rules and bans.

I’ve been a cop for 11 years, and software development is my side hobby. I built an iPhone and Apple Watch app called LOC8 because of a problem I think a lot of people in this profession understand.

Sometimes you get turned around.

Foot pursuit. Perimeter. Backyards. Alleys. Side streets. Large parking lots. Unfamiliar area. You know roughly where you are, but you need to put out the actual address, cross street, or coordinates fast.

That was the original use case.

LOC8 was built with cops in mind. It opens to one screen and shows your current address, nearest cross street, GPS coordinates, compass heading, accuracy, elevation, and a what3words location code.

The Apple Watch side is a major focus because a lot of cops, including myself, already wear one. Being able to hit a button and immediately see where you are on your wrist is a big part of the app. In certain situations, glancing at your watch makes much more sense than pulling out your phone and digging through Maps.

Since first posting about it and getting feedback, the app has grown to over 3,400 users and continues to grow. A lot of the feedback has come directly from cops, but I have also heard from security, first responders, hikers, delivery drivers, travelers, and people who have used it during roadside issues or emergencies.

I have been actively improving the app almost daily. A lot of the recent work has focused on speed, Apple Watch responsiveness, location accuracy, what3words integration, saved locations, and tracking back to saved locations.

I also added a night mode that changes the interface to red, similar to the red interior lighting used in patrol cars. The idea is to make it easier to check the app at night without hitting your eyes with a bright screen.

There is also a small weather feature that displays the current weather for the city you are in. It is not meant to replace a weather app. It was just a minor quality of life feature that made sense to include while checking your location.

Another new feature is Team Rooms.

A user can create a temporary Team Room and receive a one time code. That code can be shared with other LOC8 users, who must intentionally enter it to join. Once inside, room members can temporarily see each other’s locations for coordination.

The room is not permanent. Users can leave at any time, and the room disappears when it expires or is ended. There are no permanent teams, public profiles, or location histories attached to the feature.

The idea is to make it useful for temporary situations such as a perimeter, search, event, coordinated response, training exercise, hike, or meetup without turning LOC8 into a permanent tracking platform.

Privacy was one of the biggest things I wanted to be careful about, especially when building something for cops.

LOC8 does not require user accounts, create public profiles, or build a permanent history of where you have been. Saved locations remain on the device. Outside of an optional Team Room, there is no live location sharing.
When LOC8 needs to convert your GPS coordinates into an address, nearest cross street, weather information, or what3words location code, the current coordinate may be securely used with Apple location services, LOC8’s backend, and the applicable service needed to complete that lookup.

The iOS tracking prompt is only for ad attribution. It helps measure which advertisements brought users to the app. It has nothing to do with GPS location, and denying it does not remove any app features.

Bug reports are optional. If someone chooses to submit one, it may include diagnostic information to help identify location accuracy or technical issues. Nothing is silently creating a movement history in the background.

The app is growing, and I am still trying to make it as accurate and useful as possible. It is relying on GPS from the phone and watch, so there can still be hiccups depending on signal, buildings, accuracy, and the surrounding environment.

It already helped me during a rolling DV call. We got turned around and could not remember whether we were on Third Street or Fourth Street, and LOC8 gave us the exact location immediately.

I built this around situations I have personally experienced as a cop, but officer feedback has shaped a lot of what it is now.

Would this be useful for you? What features would you want added, changed, or improved?

I'm seeing a lot of noise about DFR in the media (multi-prop, fixed-wing, and compact indoor ones), so I'm curious what officers think about them. Are any of your agencies buying them, and which ones do you think will drive the most change? I know they're supposed to make operations safer, but it seems complicated to set up and navigate with airspace and regulations.

Hi there first time questioner. I'm not sure I did an okay thing or not okay thing. I saw someone cut a vehicle off forcing them onto the shoulder because they almost took off their front-end. And then when the victim car honked their horn at them, they flipped them off, and then sped a bit away to cut back into the lane, they were in, in front of the car they were originally behind. So I called 911 and reported them. I dont know if I was supposed to do that and I told them they were driving aggressive. I dont know if they were doing it for long cause I only saw that interaction. Dont know if that was the right term or phrase to use. Gave them the color of car, make and license plate and general direction they went. Did i do too much or use 911 wrong?

I’m from Texas. I’m 28 years old and I have been in this state my whole life. Everyone wants to say that I’m in the best state for LE. Which, I do love Texas and my family is still here. It just doesn’t align with who I am anymore. I don’t own property out here, I don’t have cattle, I don’t have a booming business. I feel like those are three major things Texas natives have or do. Nothing is tying me down. I have a soon to be fiancé but she works high up in banking and can literally get a job anywhere.

Am I crazy for wanting to become a LEO in Florida, California, Washington, or Colorado? (I’ve heard bad things about Colorado PDs though). I’m open to really any states. At this stage in my life, I really value outdoor recreation and I don’t get that in Texas. Plus I just absolutely hate the Texas heat and I know Florida is similar but at least there are beaches. I’m just a private person and I don’t party or drink on the weekends or anything, that’s all there is to do in Dallas.

I’m a male, and in good shape. It’s been nearly 3 years since I’ve drank alcohol. Nothing on my record and the worst thing I’ve ever gotten was an MIC when I was 17 years old. I’m about halfway through my bachelors degree at a community college and work for a home builder in DFW. I think I have the qualifications and physical/mental traits to make it, but what’s the chance of an out of state agency bringing me in? I need some guidance, but I will also look into talking to a recruiter. Sorry for the rant…

Hey guys. I'm a big car guy and a military member and while researching some coin stuff I stumbled across this guy on eBay. I don't normally buy coins from eBay listings but I chuckled pretty good at "can we go back to Houston" so I bit on it. My questions for you Dallas Fort Worth guys are.

1. Is this an official department coin?

2. If so, which one. Or was this a token for the whole task force?

3. What year TX2k did this come from?

Thanks for any help you guys can provide.

I have always wanted to join LE since I was a kid and well I ended up getting a job that pays well so than I didn’t apply I ended up getting let go started a semi successful business “pays the bills” and now at 23 I am thinking about applying. I really don’t want to let my business die because it can be very lucrative and I know if I keep going it will be successful my question is as a officer or deputy do you guys have a lot of “free time” on your hands are some of you guys able to focus on other things while being an officer.

Hello all,

I was recently issued a one-year trespass notice from Target because my partner was caught shoplifting. She received a court summons. Nothing happened to me other than the one-year trespass—I wasn’t cited, arrested, or charged with anything. I was with our baby at the time and wasn’t even aware she was stealing.

I’m not sure if it’s relevant, but we aren’t married. As far as I know, the only record involving me would be the police report.

Could this potentially prevent me from becoming a police officer? I’ve never been arrested, charged with a crime, or had a criminal record.

Which of these 21st century police gadgets do you think are the most useful on the job? What about the most useless?

— AI Portable Rapid Ballistics Identification

https://revelen.ai/

— Barrel Breacher

https://darkmountainarms.com/barrel-breacher/

— BolaWrap

https://www.wrap.com/#/products/bolawrap-150

— Card Reader Skimmer Detector

https://www.bvsystems.com/product/skim-scan-atm-and-fuel-dispenser-credit-card-skimmer-detector/

— Grappler Bumper

https://policebumper.com/

— Handcuffs with Automatic Triple Locking Feature

https://hulkkuffs.com/

— LIDAR Speed Detection Gun (in lieu of RADAR)

https://lasertech.com/handheld-speed-guns/

— Narcotics Identifier (handheld)

https://rigaku.com/products/handheld-raman/cql-narc-id

— Nystagmus Recording Device

https://dax.oculardatasystems.com/

— Robotic Dog

https://bostondynamics.com/industry/government/

— SoToxa Mobile Oral Drug Testing Device

https://www.toxicology.abbott/us/en/products/sotoxa-mobile-test-system.html

— Sound Level Meter

https://tsi.com/products/noise-dosimeters-and-sound-level-meters

— SpiderCuffs

https://www.spidercuff.com/

— StarChase GPS Tracker Launcher

https://www.starchase.com/

— Stun Glove

https://www.complianttechnologies.net/products

— The WRAP

https://www.commandsourcing.com/wrap.html

— X-Ray Handheld Imager

https://www.vikendetection.com/

This question is mainly for detectives or other investigators. If you get a call from someone from another jurisdiction who thinks he might be working on a case that's related to one you worked on, how do you ensure that he's not an imposter trying to get non-public information about an investigation?

I'm not talking about someone who claims to be from a neighboring county where you probably know someone and can check, but from another state halfway across the country.

​

State: Ohio

Hello! I am hoping to become a Reserve Officer/Reserve Deputy, but have been told that I have to be certified through an academy prior to being able to pick that up. Only problem is that limits my options to only self-sponsoring.

I work a fantastic career, and don't want to lose that, but I want to support my community more. I've done all the volunteer disaster response, we have no CERT team, and there's no vollie FD.

Is self sponsoring even something that's worth considering?

was driving home from a dog sporting comp when i got pulled over for speeding on the highway. i WAS following flow of traffic in the left lane, but cop said i was passing multiple people. the citation writes i was traveling west, but i was clearly going north…. any way i could fight this? or should i even risk fighting it? just dont wanna add points to my license; this is my first offense 🥲 thanks in advance. for reference i am in AZ if it helps any.

Please remove if not allowed. I want to make sure that I dispose of this properly, but the local pharmacy charges me to dispose of drugs. Police station does not accept them either.

I don’t want to pay to dispose of something innocuous as table salt (I can see my FIL as keeping salt in an old pill bottle for when he’s eating, he did very many strange things) but I also don’t want to toss a pill bottle pull of drugs down the toilet or into the trash where someone can unsuspectingly do something with it.

Please advise if this looks like drugs, my FIL was friends with several members of one of the local outlaw motorcycle ‘clubs’ and I also wouldn’t put it past him to take a bottle full of hard drugs just because it’s ‘cool’.

Edit: I reached out to my BIL, apparently it’s salt he acquired from the great salt flats on a road trip 5 years ago. Thanks for your help.

Over the last 24 hours, three different people have come to my family's house (during the day and night) after responding to Facebook Marketplace listings for motorcycles and cars. Nobody at our address has anything listed for sale or even uses Facebook marketplace. The buyers say the seller is named 'Harry' and our address was given as the inspection location. We can't find the listing ourselves.

What has me concerned is that the buyers aren't being asked to pay a deposit or transfer money beforehand. They're all expecting to inspect the vehicle and pay cash in person. That makes me wonder what the person posting the ads is actually getting out of it.

From what we understand our address isn’t posted publicly on Facebook. The seller is sending our address privately through Messenger to buyers, and this has happened across multiple separate listings (one for a car and one for a motorcycle).

Unfortunately both times this happened while I was at work, so my dad was the one who spoke to the buyers. He was very shocked and nervous in the moment (and he’s older and not very tech savvy), so he didn’t think to ask them to show him the Facebook listing or chat.

If anyone comes again, we’re definitely going to ask them to show us the listing/messages so we can work out exactly what’s happening.

Is this a known scam or could it be targeted harassment? Is there anything else we should be doing to document or prevent this?

I’m writing to see if there’s anyway to report anonymously abuse. I don’t know my neighbors well, just acquaintances. My neighbor and his on and off again girlfriend are alcoholics, they are constantly fighting. From what I hear through the door, it seems to be him getting physical with her. She constantly has black eyes, bruises. I hear them fighting often. I haven’t seen her in a few days, well today, she has double black eyes and when I asked how she’s doing, she said she has broken ribs. She is covered in bruises, bleeding knees. She said she fell. Which my gut is telling me it’s not the case. I’ve called the police before. When they were fighting in the yard. But she just comes right back after the restraining order is lifted. Is there anyway I can place an anonymous tip or call to investigate? Please let me know what I can do. Located in Utah

I imagine most ranking police investigators have reviewed dozens of polygraph exam results over the course of their careers. I follow a well-known person online who claims to have reverse-engineered captured flying saucers at Area 51. I hoped his story would be authentic and I really enjoyed his interviews, so I investigated a little and it turns out he voluntarily took a police officer-administered polygraph exam to prove to the world that his story is true. The results determined he made no attempt to deceive the examiner. How likely is it for a con man to lie about aliens, or anything else that sounds completely insane, and beat the poly?

Hello. So I have bipolar disorder and have had numerous police encounters. I found out last year that my local sheriff’s department put a marker or red flag thing on my name so it pops up that I’m violent with law enforcement and to proceed with caution.

I’m not violent I’ve never done anything to anyone. I have a clean record. The only person who is at risk of being harmed by me is me. I would never hurt an officer or deputy I have a huge amount of respect for them and I hate having this on my name. How can I get it removed? The sheriff’s department told me that they would think about it after my ERPO fell off which it did last year but now they’re not returning my calls or even taking them. I don’t know what to do.

Hello there everybody!

We recently found out about a cop that accidentally fired a pistol in their apartment and the bullet went out of the building. A police report was filed, but the jail they work at asked for them to let them handle the situation internally.

For the questions:
How often do different jurisdictions comply with requests like these, vs charging the cop with the misdemeanor that a civilian would have seen?

What does it look like for internal handling of things like this, or is it more an opportunity to let it slide and get them out of trouble?

If this cop is a repeat offender with a record of misbehavior, at what point would a county/jail decide it’s not worth the risk to keep them on the force?

Lately i been seeing a lot of content online where people are trying to promote rainbet (gambling app) and they usually have to trigger the employees enough where they have to call the cops for trespassing.

Then when the cops come, they will troll them by saying “i am hacking into the mainframe” but they are just gambling on their phone with meta glasses.

On the flip side, other content creators (with meta glasses) both men and women, try to hit on cops or use pick up lines and try to raise a reaction and then use it for tik tok views.

Since there is no reasonable right to privacy in public, what do you guys do?

I'm 24 years old and currently live in New Jersey as a permanent resident. I've always been into sports and staying in shape, and I'm in good physical condition.

I recently visited my local police department and spoke with an officer. He was very friendly and told me that I have a good profile to become a police officer. The only thing I'm missing right now is U.S. citizenship, which is required before I can apply.

I'll have to wait about a year and a few more months to become a U.S. citizen. In the meantime, I'm planning to earn my Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, and eventually continue toward a Bachelor's degree.

On May 2, I underwent ACL and meniscus reconstruction surgery. I received a graft for my ACL, so I understand that it takes time for my body to fully heal and incorporate the new ligament. My recovery has been going really well, and I've been enjoying the process of getting stronger every day.

My father served in the Colombian military. He passed away a few months after finishing his service. I don't know if it's in my blood, but I've always felt drawn to law enforcement. I truly believe that being a police officer is one of the most honorable and respected professions, no matter how is the world.

Anny tips, suggestions or advice help, I like honestly comments and different opinions.

Thanks.

Hey everyone,

I'm an active law enforcement officer (20+), and over the last several months I've been building an app called BlueShifts because I got tired of trying to manage my work schedule using what’s currently out there. I tried several police-specific calendars, but I either found them too complicated or they just didn't fit the way I wanted to organize my schedule and off-duty work.

As a thank-you to the officers helping shape the app, early adopters will receive free lifetime access. I'm much more interested in getting honest feedback from fellow officers than trying to sell subscriptions.

Instead of creating another generic calendar, I wanted to build something designed specifically for police officers and other shift workers.
So far, the app includes:

Custom rotating shift schedules
Off-duty job scheduling
Off-duty earnings tracking
Business mileage tracking
Court date scheduling
Leave and vacation scheduling
Hours worked for off-duty details
Paid, pending, and total off-duty earnings
Sunrise and sunset times
Federal holiday indicators
Schedule sharing with a spouse or significant other
Shared calendar event indicators
Court directory
Jail directory
Hospital directory
Gate codes
Useful work contacts
Off-duty employer contacts
Off-duty scheduler contacts
Personal notes attached to events
Multi-day event support

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blueshifts-police-calendar/id6785681164

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shiftsandoffduty.police

A clean monthly calendar designed around shift work instead of a generic planner

One thing that was really important to me is privacy. The app doesn't require creating an account, and your schedule and personal information stay on your phone—they aren't stored on app servers.

I'm genuinely looking for feedback from other officers.

What feature would make you actually switch to a dedicated police calendar?

What do you dislike about your current scheduling method or calendar app?

Is there anything you've always wished a police calendar would do that you haven't seen yet?

I'm looking for honest feedback from people who actually work the job so I can make the app as useful as possible.
I'd really appreciate any suggestions, criticism, or ideas—even if it's something small that would make your day a little easier.

Stay safe out there. 🚔