SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota parent said he reported an anonymous tip on the state's new app, but deputies showed up to his Sarasota home.
The Florida Attorney General's Office launched an app for anonymously reporting suspicious activity in October.
Attorney General Pam Bondi worked with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to name the app and create a logo.
The app, "Fortify Florida," is available to students across the state.
Kevin Angell and his son used the app to report a suspicious Facebook post, last week.
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The Facebook post suggested a kid was walking down the street with a gun and the kid was possibly going to a school.
"I took a screenshot of the Facebook post, opened up the Fortify Florida app and didn't put a lot of notes because it was all in the screenshot," said Kevin Angell.
Angell said deputies showed up to his Sarasota home. Angell said he reported the tip anonymously, yet deputies received his information.
"It was probably seven minutes later, a knock on the door from law enforcement, two deputies with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office showed up," said Angell.
A spokesperson with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said the tip came in at 7:44 a.m. and a unit was dispatched at 7:52 a.m. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said in an email, "In this case, deputies received information as well as a location of the complainant and did the prudent thing by following up and talking to all involved parties."
"Essentially, the anonymous veil has been pierced at this point," said Angell.
A spokesperson with the Florida Attorney General's Office said in an email, "Just like any other app, a user must consent to enable or disable location services when downloading. The user, who is an app developer, chose to enable location services. As an added precaution this feature has been turned off and responding agencies will no longer receive this information."
Angell, who runs a security app himself, said he is glad state officials made necessary changes.
Angell created an app called "See Something Send Something."
The Florida Attorney General's Office reassured students and parents can still report threats, anonymously.
The FortifyFL app is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Tips can also be submitted online at GetFortifyFL.com.
