Crime app Citizen rolls out fee-based tool for US users to contact safety agents

U.S. crime alert app Citizen is launching its first paid feature, offering subscribers access to a live safety agent when they are in"stressful or uncertain situations".

Citizen uses crowdsourced content and police scanner traffic to notify users in the United States of local incidents. It has been criticized for promoting vigilantism, particularly after it posted a US$30,000 reward to find a man wrongly suspected of arson in May.The new feature, called Protect, can monitor a subscriber's location if they feel unsafe or connect them through video or text with a Citizen employee who can escalate calls to 911 or first responders.

The app, originally launched in 2016 under the name Vigilante, has in recent months been expanding its remit. Protect, which will cost US$19.99 a month, has been in testing with nearly 100,000 users but is now available for the app's almost 8 million users. Citizen said in a statement that its Protect Agents, who include former law enforcement officers and medical responders, take a four-week certification course and receive training on bias prevention, anti-racism awareness and mental illness.A spokeswoman said Protect was not aiming to replace 911 but could help reduce the number of non-emergency calls.

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