They’re not just for games and finding low gas prices, they can keep your trick-or-treaters safe this Halloween. They are smart phone apps anyone can download, either made for Halloween safety or just well suited to it.
The Trick or Tracker lets parents see where their kids are fixing their sweet tooth. The parent’s phone tracks the GPS in the child’s phone to make a hand-held map on their screen. If a child goes missing, the app Kids ID has all of the child’s identification information, sent right to police to get them on the case.
“Instead of waiting an hour, we can be on it within five minutes, and of course when a child is missing, those five minutes are critical,” said Sgt. Roosevelt Wilson of the Harker Heights Police Department.
The Offender Locator tells parents where registered sex offenders are in their neighborhood. One app can even get you information on costume safety recalls, and the flashlight app has a special Halloween screen to guide kids on the dark sidewalks.
No matter the phone, these apps cross platforms and are easy to get.
“It’s just the same process, you know, click, install, download it,” said Christopher Silvey, an electronics expert at Best Buy.
All share a price range of free to a couple of bucks. To find these apps for your phone a quick Internet search will bring up tons off downloadable options.
Waco mother Frances Cabiness is all for her 7-year-old son Kylen trick-or-treating, but worry is always in the back of her mind. For Cabiness, these apps are a useful eye-opener.
“Technology has gone a long way,” said Cabiness.
Reporter/Photographer: Joshua Skurnik
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