WORCESTER - Police scanner apps are surging in popularity after days of riots across the United States.

The apps give real-time information about incidents involving the deployment of police, fires, shooting and looting.

5-0 Radio Police Scanner is one of the top downloaded apps for iPhones. It costs $5 to download and is among the top paid apps in Apple's app store this week.

Since Sunday, the app has had more than 500,000 users tune in. 

For the better part of Wednesday, both the Worcester and Fitchburg Police Department radios were among the Top 50 most-listened to scanners in the country. Each scanner averaged more than 120 listeners at any given time Wednesday afternoon.