Citizen Shield: Turning Bystanders into Lifesavers

Abstract

In today\'s socio-technological era, safety is a key issue, particularly in times of crisis like harassment, stalking, or kidnapping. The current project suggests an extensive Safety Application that utilizes the capabilities of contemporary smartphones and real-time technologies to provide instant, multi-layered security. The application permits users to instantly send an alert with one click, which automatically conveys their live location, identity, and contextual evidence (photos/videos) to preset emergency contacts, nearby users in a 1 km radius, and police agencies using a dedicated police dashboard. For situational awareness and timely response, the app triggers the device camera and microphone, which captures key evidence automatically without any manual intervention. This system employs GPS tracking, real-time notification, to provide accurate location sharing, with a secure and friendly interface. Bulky wearable devices or outdated software, this mobile-first solution is available, light, and scalable for mass adoption. This application employs real-time communication and intelligent technology to enhance older safety tools. It assists users to rapidly receive help in situations of need by notifying surrounding people and the police. It also creates a high level of community support, such that everyone can be safe more easily. Simple to use and efficient for both urban and rural use, the app helps in making society safer for all.

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced society, individual safety is increasingly critical due to unexpected dangers, accidents, harassment, and violent attacks. Traditional safety measures, like shouting for help or contacting authorities, often face delays or accessibility issues. To address this, Citizen Shield offers a technology-driven solution for immediate assistance, effective communication, and coordinated response.

Key Features of Citizen Shield:

• One-Tap SOS Activation: Sends emergency alerts via SMS, calls, and email to pre-registered contacts along with the victim’s live GPS location.

• Nearby User Alert: Notifies other Citizen Shield users nearby to provide immediate on-ground assistance—a feature unique to Citizen Shield.

• Live Evidence Capture: Automatically records audio and video during emergencies, useful for situational awareness and legal evidence.

• Police Dashboard: Enables authorities to view real-time alerts, locations, and evidence to make faster, informed responses.

• Security & Privacy: Role-based access ensures personal information and captured evidence remain secure.

Comparison with Other Models:
Unlike IoT smart bands or generic SOS apps, Citizen Shield does not require extra hardware, alerts both contacts and nearby users, includes live camera access, and offers faster response through community engagement while remaining scalable and low-cost.

Workflow & Methodology:

1. Users register and log in.

2. SOS activation triggers alerts to contacts, nearby users, and police.

3. Nearby users can accept the alert, view live location and camera feed, and assist the victim.

4. Dijkstra’s algorithm calculates the shortest route for responders, ensuring fastest assistance.

5. Once the victim is safe, the SOS is resolved.

Technology Stack:

• Frontend: React.js, HTML/CSS, Bootstrap/Tailwind

• Backend: Node.js, Socket.io

• Database: MongoDB/Firebase

• APIs: Geolocation, Nodemailer

• Security: HTTPS, JWT/session handling

Literature Survey:
Citizen Shield builds upon previous SOS systems, smart bands, and IoT safety devices but stands out by combining live bystander alerts, evidence capture, scalability, and fast response without extra hardware.

Future Scope:
Enhancements may include live audio/video streaming for authorities, automatic police integration, and guiding victims to nearby police stations, further improving emergency response speed and effectiveness.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Citizen Shield SOS System illustrates the possibility of using new web technologies to create an effective and secure emergency response system. The combination of React.js as an interactive front-end, Node.js with Express.js for a sound back-end, and Socket.io for real-time communication enables instantaneous and seamless dissemination of alerts. The incorporation of Geolocation API for real-time tracking and Node mailer for auto-email notifications by the system boosts responsiveness in case of emergencies. Additionally, security features like HTTPS and optional JWT authentication provide protection for user data and secure communication. This model offers a future-proof basis for other developments like mobile integration, AI-enabled alert prediction, and cloud data analysis, eventually boosting safety and community-based emergency assistance.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 N. Krishna Veni, Potnuru Keerthi, Ratti Pallavi, Naveen Kumar Patnana, Gollapalli Maheendra, Ungati Dileep Kumar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.