To Friend or Not to Friend? That is Just One of the Questions

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a world filled with virtual relationships (Facebook friend requests, Twitter followers), not to mention real life encounters (roommates, blind dates), more information means smarter choices.

Enter 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 in a matter of seconds. That's right. Parking tickets. Speeding tickets. Noise ordinance violations. Robberies. Drug Charges. Assaults. Rapes. Murders - it's all there.

Now that puts the prospect of friending people, on line and in person, in whole new light, doesn't it?

Although Matt Haindfield didn't exactly have Facebook in mind when he decided to develop the Docket in Your Pocket app, he was thinking about his two young daughters.

"I wanted to ensure that when they're living away from home or are out on the dating scene, they'll be better able to make informed decisions about the people they'll encounter," he says.

Initially, however, Haindfield's motive was strictly professional. As an attorney based in Iowa, 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."

The DYP app is set to officially launch today in PA, with plans to expand to all 50 states in the months ahead.

As Haindfield says, "Knowledge is power. I believe this app will be useful for singles, parents, 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