Cerritos Smartphone App Already Being Put to Good Use

Cerritos residents are proving to be pretty tech savvy when it comes to taking care of their city.

In less than month since the city launched its Government Outreach smartphone application (app), which allows residents to report service requests, 54 submissions have already been received through the app. Some of the submitted requests include graffiti removal, repair of traffic signals and potholes, tree trimming and reports of overgrown weeds.

“The City is pleased that within just three weeks of making the app available, many residents are using this convenient new service," Cerritos Mayor Carol K. Chen said in a statement. 

The app is free to download and uses the resident's phone's GIS information to record the location of the service request. Residents can also take a photo of the area to attach to the request.

"The photos received with the service requests are helping staff to more effectively identify the location of issues," the mayor added.

The app allows residents to easily report issues dealing with: graffiti; trees – trim, roots or inspection; pothole or street issue; sidewalk or gutter; streetlight, street sign or traffic signal; debris or trash; weeds or overgrown vegetation; animal issue; code enforcement; water issue; or other issues.

When a problem is reported through the app, City staff can track it and send status reports to the resident. Residents who submit service requests also have an opportunity to complete a survey to evaluate the service.

According to the city, one user recently commented, “The GoRequest app worked quite well and the email responses were appreciated."

The app is available for iPhones and Android phones, and is micro-browser friendly for Blackberry phones. It can be downloaded to a smartphone from the Android Market or iPhone App Store by searching for “GoRequest.” Once the app has been downloaded to a smartphone, the City's logo will appear when the app is in use within the city's geographic boundaries.

The Cerritos City Council authorized the $1,000 per year contract with Government Outreach for the application.

For more information on this innovative reporting service, visit the city's website at www.cerritos.us.