Submit a Tip Ayden Police Department
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Ayden police now lets users anonymously submit tips online

Police in one Eastern Carolina town are working to make it easier and more modern to submit tips online.

The Ayden Police Department now lets you submit a tip on Facebook. Users can go to the town’s Facebook page and click “Submit a Tip” on the left side of the page.

This is part of a program called tip411 that Ayden is employing to help better inform the community of any crime alerts.

The tip service will ask basic questions such as the issue, where it is happening and any other details.

Ayden police remind residents in the event of an emergency, they shouldn’t submit it online and instead call 911.

Read the full story from WITN.com

Announcing Tip411 in Hancock County
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Mobile app allows anonymous tips of illegal substance use

Police departments across the state are battling staffing shortages, which has led many departments to find new and creative ways of getting information about illegal activity. 

In Hancock County, it’s becoming easier than ever to report crimes and now, you can report crimes without even dialing 911.

“Many people with their busy lives don’t want to take the time to provide information, or sometimes, they just don’t want to be known,” said Hancock County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Patrick Kane.

Now, residents of Hancock County have a new way of reporting crimes, particularly underage and illegal substance use, and they can all be made anonymously.

It’s part of the program TIP 411. Tips can be sent through a mobile app called HancockCO Sheriff that is available on the app store and google play. It can also be submitted online through the department’s Facebook page, or by sending a text to the number 847-411, with the keyword HCSO to start the message.

The main goal of this app is to prevent underage and illegal substance use. The program has been developed in partnership with Healthy Acadia, who shared a similar mission.

“Something in the community can do to reduce access to substance use,” said Healthy Acadia Community Health Director Maria Donahue.

The non-profit Healthy Acadia works to create healthier communities across Hancock and Washington Counties. The group received funding for tip 411 through Maine Prevention Services. 

“The earlier that youth start using substances like alcohol and other drugs, the more likely they are to develop problems later in life,” said Donahue.

For Chief Deputy Kane, this new tool is the way of the future. 

“I think that this is just the tip of the iceberg with technology such as it is,” said Kane. “This is going to work not only here, but I think you’ll see this grow in Maine and nationally,” he added.

See the full report from News Center Maine

Halloween Safety Tips
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Poughkeepsie PD Shares Halloween Tips for Parents

In advance of Halloween, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department in New York used their tip411 alerting capability to send an email and text message directly to residents with Halloween Safety Tips for Parents:

Halloween Tips for Parents

Thursday, Oct. 31, is Halloween! Here are some safety tips for parents:

  • Make sure costumes fit well and that they are short enough to prevent tripping.
  • Consider using hypoallergenic make-up instead of masks, which can obstruct your child’s vision.
  • Add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.
  • Make certain costumes are flame-retardant.
  • Trick-or-treaters should have a flashlight with fresh batteries.
  • A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children; older kids should trick-or-treat in groups.
  • Set a time when your children should be home and know what route they plan to take.
  • Remind your children not to enter strange houses or cars. Children should not approach homes where the front lights are not turned on.
  • Remind your children to stay on the sidewalk and not cut across yards or through alleys; remind them to cross streets only at corners and never from between parked cars.
  • Do not allow your children to consume their treats until they have checked by an adult at home. Throw away any unwrapped or spoiled items. Give any candy that could be a choking hazard (such as hard candies) to older children.

See the alert from Poughkeepsie PD

Panama City Police Safety App
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Panama City Police Department launches ‘tip411’ alert system app

Reporting crime just got a little easier. The Panama City Police Department just launched an app called ‘tip411’ that allows the public to directly communicate with the investigators and officers at the station.

“If we have a situation to where we are actively investigating a case or we have a rash of burglaries or crimes within the area, this app gives us the ability to push out this information to the people residing in that area and for them to communicate information of stuff that they might see back to us,” said Investigative Services Lieutenant Chris Edmunson.

The app allows the investigator to communicate back and forth to the tipster, and it is all completely anonymous.

“Once the citizen sumits the tip to us, it immediately comes to us right there and the investigator assigned to that case will have the opportunity to immediately review it and then ask questions to that tipster,” Edmunson said.

This idea came from one of the police department captains and later being developed by Detective Kristian Shaw. It is an easy process.

“This allows them to a little bit of anonimity to come forward and to provide us with this information to follow up on some of these cases we’re working,” Edmunson said.

While living in a tech-savvy world, the department feels that this app will enhance the community’s safety.

“This is how people communicate nowadays,” Edmunson said. “They communicate through phones, through texts and through apps just like this, so I think it is going to enhance that communication between us and the citizens.”

The app is up and running and free in the Apple Store and Android Store. If you do not have a smartphone, you can still submit a tip on the city of Panama City’s website.

See full story from MyPanhandle.com

Hebron Schools Tips
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Hebron Schools awarded grant for tip411

Safety is a top priority at Hebron Schools. Thanks to Kankakee Valley REMC’s Operation Round Up, Hebron now has one more way to help their students feel safe. The company awarded the a grant school to help cover the costs of an anonymous tip line.

The Hebron Tip411 app allows students to report concerns to administrators and school resource officers without the worry of retaliation. Hebron Middle School Principal Jeff Brooks says, “This empowers students to have a voice in keeping their school a safe place.” Students can send a message through the app or simply text their concerns. The app also allows them to include images and video.

Since the launch in late August, staff and administrators have received over 20 reports that have enabled them to be proactive in preventing student concerns from becoming serious events. Reports on potential bullying, fighting, vaping, drug use, and student welfare are just a few of the tips that have been received by administrators.

“Over half of our tips have included photos or screenshots of the issue being reported,” School Safety Director, Mike Grennes says. The photos and screenshots give administrators an advantage in determining how to track down and handle these concerns.