Docket in Your Pocket: Looking Beyond the Usual Suspects

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent events suggest that monsters walk among us disguised as teachers, neighbors -- even football coaches. How can parents tell the difference?

Perhaps the first line of defense is the Docket in Your Pocket (DYP) app.

With a database of Pennsylvania's 32.5 million criminal records going back to 2000, DYP can provide background information on specific individuals in a matter of seconds. Everything from parking tickets to assaults, rapes and murders is there for the finding.

"Lately, the news in Pennsylvania has been particularly shocking," says DYP founder Matt Haindfield. "As the father of two young daughters, I truly believe knowledge is power."

That search for knowledge is what initially prompted this Iowa-based attorney to develop the app. He needed information -- quick, reliable information -- about a witness' criminal history. So, he reached for his smartphone, accessed the Iowa Supreme Court's website, and was frustrated to discover that the database was prohibitively difficult to navigate in a mobile environment.

After researching the availability of other mobile-based options, and finding none, he opted to create his own. Four months later (in December 2010) DYP could be downloaded via the Android Market and then through the Apple App Store.

Why would an Iowa lawyer develop an app for Pennsylvanians? "We wanted to launch our app in a state with a large percentage of smartphone users and where there was an existing database of criminal records," Haindfield says. "Pennsylvania fit the bill."

To date, Haindfield estimates that one out of every 100 PA residents with an Android or iPhone has downloaded Docket in Your Pocket. In fact, DYP even cracked the iTunes list of Top 25 Utility Apps. Based on this success, Haindfield plans to eventually make the app available in all 50 states.

"I'm confident that Docket in Your Pocket will be helpful for parents, singles, students, law enforcement personnel, attorneys and anyone interested in learning about the criminal background of others. Our goal is to make the world a safer place to live and work."

SOURCE Docket in Your Pocket