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Police use smartphone app to communicate during New Year's Eve

Posted at 7:02 PM, Dec 31, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-31 22:05:07-05

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is using a new smartphone app called Secure Communications to talk to each other during New Year's Eve celebrations on the Strip.

They say that it's faster and more secure because it encrypts messages and functions as a giant group text.

Previously the department communicated through radio, but officers had a difficult time hearing each other in large crowds.

"[Officers] can quickly just re-read a text and see exactly what the person meant," said Capt. Christopher Tomaino.

LVMPD also used the app during the presidential debate at UNLV.