There's a new tool aimed at fighting animal cruelty in Putnam County.

Chief Ken Ross and his team at the Putnam County SPCA are active in the community - and stay alert when it comes to keeping animals safe.

That includes patrolling parking lots in the warm months to keep an eye out for animals left in the car.

"Even though the windows are down, the interior temperature can go up 40 degrees higher," says Chief Ross.

It's not just cases like those, but Chief Ross says their calls in general are going up.

Last year, they had more than 2,300 - a 23% increase from the year before.

This year, they've already gotten more than 800 calls.

One of those was in early April when two birds were found mutilated in Lake Carmel.

Chief Ross says they have a 24/7 hotline and now, an app to help combat animal cruelty.

"This app will allow you to make the complaint either anonymously or you can put your name in, a lot of people feel more comfortable. The app also lets you take a picture of what you see," Ross explains.

People can now report animal cruelty to his team through the SaferWatch app.

Every report made through the app is sent directly to SPCA officers.

"We've all seen these cases of animal abuse taking place or things that just weren't right but not sure if we call 911, SaferWatch gives people that avenue to report animal abuse," says Geno Roefaro, CEO of SaferWatch.

Read more about the app and how to get it here.

Read more about the Putnam County SPCA here.