Any smartphone can serve as a direct link to Army counterintelligence operations in Europe, thanks to an application launched on Dec. 18.
The iReport app, available for iOS and Android products, lets users report suspicious activities either to counterintelligence personnel or to local law enforcement. Unsure where your tip should go? The app points users in the right direction — flag the intel team for "someone expressing hatred of American society, culture or government," for instance, or send a message to the police for "someone taking unauthorized photography of buildings or gate entrances."
The app breaks tips to law enforcement into urgent and not-urgent categories. A news release on the app reminds users to report any "immediate and escalating incidents" to local and military authorities right away.
"It is an application that we want everyone to have on their smartphone so they can quickly and easily report suspicious behavior," Bryan Eisenhardt, a U.S. Army Europe counterintelligence coordinator, said in the release, adding that intel officials hope the free app will help them aggregate low-level activity that could tip agents off to larger incidents.
The report setup mimics the iReport process at the U.S. Army Europe website, which also includes emergency contact information for local authorities.
