Oklahoma County Invests In Innovative App To Foster Safer Police-Citizen Relations

A breakthrough came for a local company using an app to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community. The Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners voted to give $200,000 in ARPA funds to BlueJay Enterprises. The company created the app to improve how police and the community interact, beginning with the routine traffic stop.

“When you see those dreaded red and blue lights behind you, you get really anxious and you don’t have the information you need right now,” said BlueJay co-founder James Foster.

However, with the BlueJay app, Foster says that could change.

“Imagine being able to get real-time information next time you engage with an officer,” Foster said.

The app is a two-sided platform, set up like a social media profile, using the person’s license plate number. Law enforcement agencies would also join.

“Our aim is to unify two divisive communities and unify them to one so we can have a safer environment between police and citizens,” said Foster.

Foster says his pending patent is a push notification system that ties into the user’s license tag. If you get pulled over, the app will notify you about who the officer is and why they're stopping you. It also gives the officer information about the person they stopped.

“You see their face, get to know a little bit about them,” he said. “There are some cases for people who have disabilities as well so being able to tell that narrative to the officer, that might change the way the police interact with them.”

On Wednesday, the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to fund the company for further research and to test the app. The company says it will work with the Guthrie Police Department to start a pilot program.

“This money helps us have this vision come true,” Foster said.

Now that the company has the funding, it plans to partner with a research team and start the pilot program as soon as possible.