Mar 1, 2024 By Mark Hofmann 3 min read

Anything you need to know about the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office can be found in the palm of your hand.

The sheriff’s office recently released the “Fayette County PA Sheriff’s Office,” a free app available for Apple and Android smartphones.

Last summer, Sheriff Jim Custer learned about the app from a vendor during the annual Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association training conference.

“Once I met with them, I thought it was a great way to connect with the community and the folks we serve,” Custer said. “With today’s technology and today’s world, everyone has a smartphone, and this is an opportunity to put our services from our office to the community so it will be in the palm of their hand.”

The app initially was launched late last summer, with Custer targeting a public announcement to coincide with the opening of the new Fayette County Jail, originally scheduled for October. However, delays pushed the inmate transfer to the new lockup to February.

Custer had hoped to tout the app’s jail-related features such as inmate searches and how-tos on paying bail and making deposits into inmate commissary accounts as well as jail policies, public defender’s office information and other related content.

Despite the lack of fanfare, Custer said the app already has 1,480 downloads through the App Store for Apple devices and 993 downloads through the Google Play Store for Android devices.

Among other app features are news and alerts, access to the sheriff’s office Facebook page, sheriff sales, office contact information, firearm licensing application, opioid-addiction resources, divisions and units within the sheriff’s office, and drug drop-box sites.

Custer, noting that even though the sheriff’s office isn’t a call-for-service law-enforcement agency, users can pass anonymous tips through the app, and Custer said the information will be relayed to the appropriate authority.

Custer said his favorite feature is the push notification in which the app user can receive instant inclement weather alerts, notification if the county courthouse or offices are closed, street closures, accidents and other emergency events.

“It’s just another way of being transparent and keeping the community informed,” Custer said.

Custer already has received feedback concerning the app, with the inmate search being the No. 1 feature being used. He said local district magistrates and members of law enforcement have also used the app for inmate searches and, through the VINE system, searched for inmates throughout the state. There’s also a link to the Megan’s Law website to locate sex offenders in an area.

Custer said his office is working with the app developer to add photos for the county’s most wanted and warrants features.

To download the app, search the Apple or Google Play app store for “Fayette County PA Sheriff’s Office.”