Would-be criminals will now have to be careful, or they might end up on a police version of “Candid Camera” because of a new University of Maryland smart phone application which allows people to send live video of crimes or emergencies to the police.

The application called “Video 911” was developed by University of Maryland computer science professor Ashkok Agrawala.

University of Maryland graduate student Neha Gubta, and member of the development team, said the application can be accessed by a touch of a single button.

The application will then open an audio and video link with the police dispatch center, Gubta said. The operator can then send the audio or video to officers responding to the scene.

“The police can be well prepared on the kind of crime they will face…so if it’s a fire in a building then the police can alert other emergency responders and they will be well prepared for what they will face,” Gubta said.

The University of Maryland Police Department is hoping to test out the new application.

Sgt. Ken Leonard said the chief of police, Agrawala and his students have contacted phone companies to see if they are interested in sponsoring the program. He said they have estimated it will cost around $100,000 to implement the application.

Leonard said a college campus is the perfect place to test the smart phone application.

“Yes, certainly most college students, if not all have cell phones and most have smart phones… they will have that ability to report things without having to think with just a press of a button,” Leonard said.

University of Wisconsin Police Department Sgt. Aaron Chapin said he believes there is definite potential for the technology.

He said it is good for responding officers to have as much information as they can when going into a situation. He added it makes their jobs safer and easier.

However, Chapin said there could be some possible dangers for citizens who would try to record crimes.

“I think there is some concern for the safety of someone who is trying to utilize their smart phone to utilize to capture the crime,” Chapin said. “We appreciate citizens who want to help out and there are some circumstances where we do not want them to interview because they would be in danger.”

Gubta said she believes the application could prevent crimes because potential law breakers will not know who is watching them and who is taping them.

The smart phone application has been in development for around a year, Gubta said.

She added their prototype is fully functional and is ready for a large scale test.

The legal consequences of using the videos people would send into the police will have to be decided by individual states, Leonard said. He added police departments should work with law makers before the technology becomes widespread to avoid legal confusion.

The application also features a Global Positioning System, according to Leonard.

“It will help pinpoint their location, especially on a campus environment. If someone is in a building the application can narrow it down to 10 feet of a location,” Leonard said.