Lakeland police to use Periscope app after driver's DUI

LAKELAND (FOX13) - It's not a gun. It's not  a Taser. But it is the Lakeland Police Department's newest crime-fighting weapon.

"It's a new tool, and it's a good one," Sgt. Gary Gross told FOX 13.

Gross is talking about a new app called Periscope. Using Periscope, you can broadcast whatever you're  doing live worldwide.

Whitney Beall, a 23-year-old Lakeland woman, just became the unofficial poster child for it. Police said she used the app to broadcast that she was driving home drunk on Saturday.

"I am  drunk beyond belief people," she said on the recording. The app records the live broadcast and stores it for 24 hours.

Someone saw what was happening on Periscope and called police. Beall was was arrested in a matter of minutes.

Periscope is so new, the 911 operator that got the call did not know what the app was until the caller sent her a link to check it out. A young street officer, who was familiar with the app, tuned in and zeroed in on Beall's location by identifying local landmarks.

Gross said in the wake of the the incident, the entire police department is being made aware of the app. He said certain members of the force will be trained on how to use Periscope to catch criminals.