A Richmond Hill mother and Army veteran has developed a free app she says will give parents and service members a single place to find safety resources, report abuse anonymously and get help in emergencies.
From military intelligence to a community safety tool
The app, called Project 31 — named after Proverbs 31 — is the passion project of Lyndsay Monaco. Monaco, who spent nearly 14 years in the Army before medically retiring, said her background in intelligence and experience with artificial intelligence and data-aggregation tools informed the app’s design.
She built the app largely on her own time during late nights and lunch breaks while maintaining a full-time job, and has released it in a free, beta phase.
"After you become a mother, you become super protective ... It just seems like the more we turn on the news, ... we see children getting hurt ... missing and endangered children. It just seems like it gets worse every year."
What Project 31 offers
Monaco said Project 31 draws on open-source public data and brings it together so families can access multiple resources from a single app. That consolidation is intended to reduce the time and confusion parents and service members face when trying to find trustworthy safety information.
- Interactive safety map: Pulls from public offender registries and lets users filter by offender risk level.
- Missing and endangered child alerts: Active alerts are visible on the map so users can see nearby cases.
- Safe-location markers: Police and fire stations are shown to help users find nearby public safety facilities.
- Anonymous tip tool: Allows users to file tips that are routed to the appropriate agency and generates a tracking number.
- Mayday feature: A discreet emergency option that disguises itself as a text conversation, records information in the background and notifies two emergency contacts without immediately placing a 911 call.
Design choices aimed at real-world use
Monaco described the reasoning behind the app’s features as practical and trauma-informed. The anonymous tip tool is designed to lower barriers to reporting by routing tips to the correct agency automatically and providing a tracking number so users can follow up. The Mayday function acknowledges that in some situations calling 911 may feel unsafe or insufficient — the feature starts background recording and alerts contacts once the user has set up two emergency contacts.
| Feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Interactive safety map | Aggregate offender data, alerts and safe locations |
| Anonymous tips | Route reports to agencies and provide tracking numbers |
| Mayday | Discreetly seek help without immediately calling 911 |
Local implications and next steps
For Richmond Hill residents, Project 31 offers a consolidated way to view public safety information already in the public domain and an avenue for reporting concerns. The app’s reliance on open-source registries and public alerts means its accuracy depends on the timeliness and completeness of those sources; Monaco’s approach is to aggregate the available data into one accessible interface rather than create new registries.
Monaco framed the project as a response to a broader anxiety many parents feel about children’s safety, and as a tool for service members who may face distinct risks. In describing her motivation, she said the aim is to "defend people who can’t defend themselves," a principle she connects to the Biblical reference behind the name.
Project 31 is currently in beta and free to users. Monaco’s description emphasises that the app is a labour of personal commitment built alongside a full-time job. She has not outlined a formal rollout plan or long-term funding strategy in the material provided, and the app’s continued development will likely depend on user uptake and feedback during the beta phase.
As Richmond Hill families and veterans weigh the practical benefits of another safety tool, Project 31 represents a locally rooted effort to use technology to make public information more accessible and to give people clearer options when they suspect abuse or face an emergency.
