iPhone App Takes Pics of Crimes in Progress
Developed by a crime victim, a new app called ThugsMug promises to snap pics of perps while misdeeds are in progress to provide evidence.
Launched July 24, the $4.99 app bills itself as “World’s First Safety Protection App for iPhone & iPad 2.” That’s not strictly true, we’ve alerted you to a number of ICE (in case of emergency) apps like Silent Bodyguard which equips users with a panic button.
This may be the first one, though, that activates your camera to capture evidence at regular intervals.
The developer suggests you activate ThugsMug in potentially dangerous situations, putting it in “armed” mode when at ATM machines, parking lots, bus stops, subways, train stations and malls, or while on vacation or walking or jogging alone.
Should danger strike, by hitting “active,” the app sends email messages with pictures to your designated emergency contacts. It can be set to take pictures every 10 seconds, with flash if your device supports it. The app will also alert 911, too.
The person who developed it was victim of a motorcycle jacking incident, which ended up in a crash and violent beating. There were witnesses, but no one was ever caught.
The developer, who remains nameless in the account, says:
“Reflecting back, I wish I could have captured a picture of them the moment I jumped up from the crash. I had immediately grabbed my phone from my back pocket and had it in my hand when I was assaulted however, my phone did nothing more than block a few blows. Even if they had taken my phone and destroyed it, the pictures would have already been automatically sent to my emergency contact.”
Do you think these emergency apps are useful?
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on 
