Robert Arnold, Sheriff of Rutherford County, Tennessee, took information and notification services to a whole new level by launching a new mobile app for the iPhone (News - Alert) expected to allow citizens keep track of emergency situations in their community.

Appriss, which keeps communities safe and informed by using innovative technology, also provides smartphone apps for sheriff offices to help them communicate more effectively with their communities.

Law enforcement officials will now be able to distribute photos of missing children and other persons, and keep the public informed about road closures and traffic crashes. The app will provide information about offenders to victims of crime using VINE.

"This is one of the most powerful alert tools we have seen and by making this available via iPhone," said David Kaelin, president of Appriss. "We believe the sheriff's app will save lives."

Currently, 42 sheriffs across the country are using the Android (News - Alert) version of the application, and the sheriff's office at Tennessee has become one of the first in the nation to provide help to the community through an improved mobile phone app on their iPhone.

Sheriff offices across the country, who have signed up to participate, will be receiving the iPhone and the new Android version of the app in the coming months. The new mobile app, paid for by commercial sponsors, can be downloaded from the App store or from Google (News - Alert) Play.

"More than 200 people downloaded the app in the first 24 hours in Tennessee and nine other states," said Lt. Larry Pace, who coordinated the app for the sheriff's office. "We anticipate 3,000 to 4,000 downloads within the first two weeks."

The new mobile app is provided at no cost to sheriffs who offer VINE, which is designed solely with the purpose of empowering victims.

Tim Bingham, Appriss' Tennessee Account Manager, has received the 2012 Lifesaver Award presented by the Governor's Highway Safety Office (GHSO), a division of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Bingham was recognized for his "above and beyond commitment" to the state's Driving Under the Influence Tracker program, a program that improves the efficiency of collecting, tracking, and analyzing DUI cases. 

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Austin 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.