Company Pitches App To Help With Pandemic
A pilot project, with Kansas-City based eHawk, intended to reduce jail costs to detainees and the number of people behind bars has taken on a new importance during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an attempt to rid expensive ankle bracelets sold by private companies, a new phone app called RePath was developed. This app can tack a person’s movements, send reminders and even video chat. RePath serves an electronic supervision while sending location and biometric data to the eHawk platform.
As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the country, St. Louis officials are looking for a safe way to reduce the jail population. Ted Green, the chief operating officer for eHawk, calls jails a “time bomb” when it comes to COVID-19. That’s why the company is now adapting the phone app to help jail officials if they decide to accelerate the release of inmates in the jail.
In addition to RePath, another app called RZero was pitched to help those who are quarantined due to the coronavirus. RZero would send health information to users, provide location warnings, set curfews and warn users if people have traveled outside of inclusion zones. This app would help keep people safer and more informed as the isolation period continues.
Green has been in conversations with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s administration to expand the use of the company’s app.