Effective October 8, 2026 · Cape Dispatch · operated by Cape May, Cape May County, New Jersey
Not an emergency service. Cape Dispatch is an unofficial,
independent project. It is not run by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Cape May
County, any municipality, or any police, fire, EMS or 911 agency. Information can be
late, incomplete or wrong. If you have an emergency, call 911.
Cape Dispatch is a live incident map for Cape May County, New Jersey, available at
capemaydispatch.com and as an iPhone app. The iPhone app is a thin
shell that loads the same website, so this policy covers both. It explains what we
collect, why, who else handles it, how long we keep it, and how to have it deleted.
The short version
You can use the map, incident list and scanner audio without an account.
If you create an account we keep your username and email address.
If you upload photos or video, we keep them and the location and time attached to them.
We use your device location only when you tap something that asks for it.
We do not sell personal information, show ads, or track you across other apps or websites.
What we collect
When you just visit
Technical and security logs: your IP address, browser or device type,
the pages and data you request, and when. Used to run the service, debug it, and stop abuse.
A session cookie that keeps you signed in, and small settings stored in
your browser (for example map layer choices).
Anonymous usage statistics (see Analytics below).
If you create an account or sign in
Username and email address (email is required to register and is used for sign-in,
password resets and account messages).
Your password, stored only as a salted one-way hash. We never store it in plain text.
If you use Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple:
the account identifier, email address, and (if the provider shares it) name and profile
photo link. If you choose Apple's "Hide My Email", we only see the relay address.
Sign-in history (successful and failed logins, with IP address and time) and a record
of administrative actions on accounts, kept for security.
If you upload photos or video
The file itself, any caption you add, and the time you uploaded it.
Location: the location you attach (your device's GPS, only if you allow it) and any
location and capture time already embedded in the file's metadata (EXIF).
We use these to match your upload to the right incident and to rate how trustworthy it is.
Uploads can be reviewed by moderators before or after they appear. The copy shown to
the public has location and other metadata stripped; the original and its metadata stay
on our server. Staff may combine reviewed uploads into 3D scene reconstructions, which are
reviewed for faces, license plates and private property before publication.
Location
We ask for your device location only when you tap a feature that needs it, such as
tagging an upload or "use my location" on the map or the My Place page. Your browser or
iPhone will ask for permission first, and you can say no. We do not track your location in
the background. Addresses you type into My Place are not saved to your account.
If you turn on alerts
Your browser's push subscription (a web address and keys issued by your browser's push
service, such as Apple, Google or Mozilla) so we can deliver notifications.
Any places you save for alerts (a label such as "Home", the address or point, and a radius),
and which alerts you have read. This is tied to the push subscription, not to an account.
Turning alerts off deletes the subscription and its saved places from our server.
What we do not collect
No contacts, no health data, no payment card details, no advertising identifiers, and no
session recordings. The app has no in-app purchases and no paid tiers.
How we use information
To run the map, alerts, sign-in and uploads, and to match uploads to incidents.
To send account email: password-reset links and a welcome message.
To moderate content, prevent abuse and keep the service secure.
To understand, in aggregate, which features are used so we can improve them.
Analytics
We use PostHog for anonymous product analytics: which pages are opened and which map
layers and tools are used. It is configured more strictly than its defaults: no session
recordings, on-page text is masked so addresses and transcripts are not sent, visitors are not
identified, and your browser's "Do Not Track" setting is honored. Analytics requests go
through our own domain. This Privacy page and the Support and Terms pages load no analytics at all.
Who else handles data
We do not sell or rent personal information. We share it only with service providers
that help run Cape Dispatch, and only as needed for that purpose:
Cloudflare: delivers all traffic to our server (network and security).
Google Firebase Authentication, Google and Apple:
only if you use Sign in with Google or Apple.
Supabase: private cloud storage used to back up the app's data.
Push services run by your browser or device maker (Apple, Google, Mozilla):
deliver the alerts you turned on.
Map and data services your device contacts directly when you view the map:
for example map tiles and imagery (OpenStreetMap, Esri/ArcGIS, Cesium, NASA, NOAA, Iowa
Environmental Mesonet), address lookup on My Place (OpenStreetMap Nominatim and public
government map services), and scanner audio streams (Broadcastify). Like any website, these
services receive your IP address and the map area or stream requested.
We may also disclose information if required by law, or if we believe in good faith it is
necessary to protect someone's safety.
Incident information
Incidents shown on Cape Dispatch come from public-safety radio (scanner audio transcribed
by software), official public feeds and verified news sources, not from users' devices.
Calls involving juveniles, domestic incidents, overdoses and mental-health emergencies are
withheld from the public map and never sent as alerts. If you see an incident that should not
be public, please tell us (see Support).
How long we keep it
Account information: while your account exists.
Sign-in records: full IP addresses are shortened (the last part removed) after 30 days;
the shortened records and the administrative audit trail are kept for security.
Uploads: until you ask us to delete them or a moderator removes them.
Alert subscriptions and saved places: until you turn alerts off or your browser's push
service tells us the subscription has expired.
Server logs: kept only as long as needed for operations and security.
Deleted information may remain in backup copies for a limited time.
Your choices and deleting your data
You can delete your account yourself: sign in, open Account, and choose
Delete account. Deleting removes your account and sign-in (including a linked Google
or Apple sign-in), the photos and videos you uploaded, and the alert subscription and saved places on
the device you delete from. It takes effect immediately; copies in backups are removed on the normal
backup cycle. To ask what we hold about you, or if you cannot sign in, email CapeMayDispatch@gmail.com from the address
on your account (or include your username) and we will complete the request, normally within 30 days.
You can change your password at any time from your account page, turn alerts off in the app, and
decline location permission.
Children
Cape Dispatch is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal
information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, contact us
and we will delete it.
Security
Traffic to Cape Dispatch is encrypted in transit (HTTPS). Passwords are hashed, and member
email addresses are masked in staff tools unless a specific record is opened, which is logged.
No system is perfectly secure, so please use a unique password.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update it here and change the effective date above.