Summary: A social media report by Vision TV and other local online platforms claiming that the Liberia National Police (LNP) has launched a new mobile application titled ‘find Officer App’ is going viral. However, we fact-checked and found that the app is not new. It was launched in November 2017.
On Thursday, March 7, Vision TV — Facebook blog – claimed in a post that the Liberia National Police (LNP) has launched a new Web-Based Application titled ‘Find Officer App’ intended to Enhance Transparency and Public Trust.
Vision TV was highlighting gains being made by the current administration of the LNP “towards modernizing policing practices and embracing technology to improve public service delivery and its commitment to foster a safer and more inclusive society for all Liberians.”
In eight hours, the post generated 423 reactions, 219 comments, and 100 shares, many commenters were lauding the efforts of the LNP.
The claims
Vision TV posted: “LNP Launches Find Officer Web-Based Application to Enhance Transparency and Public Trust.”
Rating Justification
To verify the claim, we launched a search to enquire when the ‘find officer App’ was launched.
In our search, we found a Facebook post by the LNP on its official Facebook page with information that was shared on November 28, 2017. In that post, the App was launched by the LNP to allow citizens to get some information about LNP officers: their names, photos, ranks, and assignments. The App also allows citizens to make a commendation or complaint to an officer.
To further authenticate when the app was launched, we contacted the official spokesperson of the LNP, Moses Carter via WhatsApp.
In response, Mr. Carter wrote: “Find officer app is not new but has not been utilized by the public due to logistical constraints … In short, the Find Officer app started when the current IG was head of Police in 2016-17.”
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we therefore conclude that the claim by Vision TV and other online platforms is misleading. The Liberia National Police (LNP) has not launched a new app titled “Find Officer App,” in recent days. The “Find Officer App” was launched back in November 2017.
