Residents Can Alert City to Problems in Real Time
Jun 15,2010
Beverly Hills residents and visitors who own iPhones are now able to alert the City to problems or request service with just a few touches of the screen. Now available free of charge in the iPhone App Store, the "Ask Bev Mobile" application is fully integrated with the City's online service request system, Ask Bev. Ask Bev Mobile will allow anyone who sees graffiti, a broken water main, a pothole or any other problem in Beverly Hills to take a photo with an iPhone camera and submit it directly to the City. The phone's GPS capability automatically records the location and the photo tells the rest of the story. Customers can also type a description to supplement the photo or just send in the description. Service requests can be sent anonymously or users can open an account with the City, which allows online tracking of requests. The Beverly Hills app is part of the Smart City initiatives launched by Mayor Jimmy Delshad. "This is probably the easiest way someone can alert the City to an issue in real time," said Delshad. "Our goal is to use technology to make interacting with the City as pleasant and simple a process as possible." The iPhone app is not to be used to inform the police about a crime in progress or other emergency; criminal activity or a serious illness or injury should be reported by calling 911.
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