Texas wants your help preventing mass violence, how you can assist using your phone

EL PASO, Texas -- In an effort to curb mass violence, state agencies in Texas have developed an application for your phone with the hopes of saving lives.

You can now use the Texas Department of Public Safety's iWatch Texas app. The app is not intended for emergency situations, but rather to report suspicious or threatening activity.

The app was launched in 2018. Governor Greg Abbott reported in the fall that it had been downloaded more than 8,879 times. Sergeant Marc Couch with Texas DPS says they're happy with those figures, but the department hopes to do better.

"We were directly ordered to make it easier for the public to report to us and our law enforcement partners," Couch said. "Compared to the amount of people in Texas and have cell phones, it's probably not as much as we need to."

While using the app, you'll need to specify if the incident is school-related or not. You'll be asked to fill out information about yourself, though you can choose to remain anonymous, and information about the incident.

"Your piece of information might be part of a larger piece of a puzzle being put together by law enforcement from other reports that have been reported about the same person," Couch said. "Your piece of information may allow us to get over the hump of some of the legal protections we may have."

The app is free to download. Reports made through the app will be sent to Texas DPS and other relevant law enforcement agencies.