In the fight against crime, technology is only as good as the actionable information it produces. For the Cape Girardeau, MO Police Department (77 sworn officers), the tip411 tool has become vital in turning anonymous tips into concrete evidence that stands up in court.
A prime example of this partnership in action occurred in a disturbing animal cruelty case, which recently culminated in a 10-year prison sentence for the perpetrator, Andrew Nipper.
Turning Leads into Evidence
The case seemed challenging until a crucial, anonymous tip was received through Cape Girardeau’s PD tip411 system. The tipster provided specific details regarding the suspect boasting about the crime on Discord, including a photo of the victim’s dog in the back seat of the perpetrator’s car.
This single piece of information allowed investigators to secure search warrants for the individuals house, car, and phone. The search warrant provided a large amount of evidence that was able to be used in the in the case:
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Physical Evidence: Police found clothing matching the suspect’s appearance at the time of the crime and trash bags matching those used to conceal the animal.
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Forensic Evidence: Dog hair was located inside the suspect’s vehicle.
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Digital Evidence: The suspect’s phone contained the photo shared on Discord, as well as incriminating search history, including:
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“I just killed a dog, will I become a serial killer”
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“I killed a dog for revenge”
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“Because of that photo [provided via tip411], we were able to get search warrants for Nipper’s house, car, and phone.” — Detective Jerry Franks
Thanks to the rapid, secure, and anonymous nature of tip411, law enforcement was able to act swiftly to gather evidence, leading directly to a conviction and a 10-year prison sentence.
The Cape Girardeau Police Department mobile app is available to download for free from the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store. Citizens can also submit an anonymous text tip via their cell phone by texting the keyword “CAPEPD” and their message/tip to 847411.