Though BART police have come under fire for failing to respond swiftly to station issues like the naked acrobat, they're promising riders that if they use their new crime-reporting app, BART Watch, the transit system will be "safer and more secure."

According to BART spokesperson Alicia Trost, the agency has had "years of requests from riders for a safe and discreet way to communicate with police," KCBS reports. That's why, this spring, the agency spent $265,000 to commission Massachusetts-based ELERTS to come up with the app, which allows iOS and Android users to report issues like "Crime in Progress, Illegally Parked Vehicle, Disruptive Behavior, Robbery/Theft, Unattended Bag or Package, and Vandalism."

After choosing your crime type, you just add text and an optional picture, after which reports go directly to BART Police dispatch and are "prioritized for response."

Though some have responded to this app's release with accusations that riders will be turned "into snitches" it's KRON4 that poses a more relevant critique, noting that "the app comes at the same time as police across the region are urging people to be better aware of their surroundings and not be too focused on their cell phones." In other words, if you think there are thieves among us, is is wise to whip out your expensive, handheld computer?

Of course, BART hasn't always had a comfortable relationship with cell phones used during times of strife. Between BART's ill-advised cell phone service shutdown during a protest that inspired national outrage and the importance cell phone video played in revealing what happened when a BART police officer shot and killed an unarmed Oscar Grant, it seems like their police force has often wished the darn things didn't exist at all. Perhaps this is a new era in BART policing, when mobile tech will be viewed as a friend, not a foe.

Anyway, here's BART's video of how it works. Have you tried it yet?

[BART]