Ansonia Police
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New app ‘tip411’ keeps Ansonia police, community connected

The Ansonia Police Department is using today’s technology as a tool to help fight crime.

The department is launching a phone app called the tip411 alert system, as a new and interactive way to keep the community connected and informed through emails, text messages and online public safety alerts, according to Police Chief Kevin Hale.

The app allows users to report crimes and other suspicious activities directly to police by sending anonymous text messages from their cell phone or via a free smartphone app.

“We believe an informed community is a safer community,” Hale said. “The new tip411 system allows our department to engage with the public and share information that will help make Ansonia a safer place.”

Residents can register to receive alerts from Ansonia Police via email and/or text message to their cell phone by opting to receive neighborhood-specific or citywide alerts about public safety issues in their area. Community members are encouraged to sign up online by visiting the city’s a website.

The public can also share information on crimes and other suspicious activity by sending an anonymous web or text tip to police. While the new app is not a replacement for dialing 911 in an emergency, those wishing to share information anonymously with police can simply text AnsoniaPD and their message to 847411 (tip411), according to Hale.

The new AnsoniaPD App for iPhone and Android from tip411 enables the public to share an anonymous tip with police and lets the officers respond back creating an anonymous two-way conversation.

The AnsoniaPD App and tip411 anonymous text a tip system are 100 percent anonymous, as the technology removes all identifying information before police see the tips and there is no way to identify the sender.

Read the full story from the New Haven Register

tip411 East Lyme Police
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East Lyme police launch app for anonymous tips, crime alerts

East Lyme police say a newly launched mobile app will enable the police department to quickly send information to residents, and allow residents to anonymously send tips to police.

“We viewed it as a way to improve and increase our ability to interact with the public,” town police Chief Michael Finkelstein said about the decision to launch the app.

East Lyme residents can get the app through the Google Play Store, iTunes App Store or the East Lyme Police Department’s website, bit.ly/ELPolice, according to a news release announcing the app.

The ‘East Lyme PD’ app is free and was created by tip411, the release states.

Finkelstein stressed that the system is not monitored “24/7,” so anytime people have an immediate need for police assistance, they should call 911 or the regular East Lyme Police Department phone number.

Residents who don’t use a smartphone still can make anonymous tips by texting the tips along with the keyword “ELPD” to 847411 (tip411). They also can send tips online on the police department’s website, bit.ly/ELPolice, according to the release.

Police departments across the country use the tip411 system. Hamden and New London, which uses the system for anonymous tips, are among the police departments in Connecticut that use it, Finkelstein said.

East Lyme police plan to send out notifications about crime through the app. For example, when police were looking to identify a man who reportedly stole packages off a porch earlier this month, police could have used the app to push out information about the incident, including a photo, he said. People then could have replied to police anonymously about who they thought the man might be.

“We certainly encourage people to go out and get the app,” Finkelstein said. “It allows us to get information out to people much quicker.”

And, if people spot suspicious activity — whether it’s suspected drug-related activity or human trafficking or anything else — they can report what they see to the police through the app, Finkelstein said.

He said the app creates a dialogue between police and residents in which people can provide updated information and police can ask questions — and it’s all anonymous.

Read the full story from TheDay.com

PD app for tips
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Stratford PD has new app for tips

The Stratford Police Department has rolled out a new app that it says will to help residents connect with the department to find information, view alerts, and submit anonymous tips from their smartphones.

Developed by police app developer tip411, the Stratford PD app “puts a powerful new crime-fighting tool into the hands of community members of all ages,” officials said. The Stratford PD app is available for download for free via the Google Play Store, iTunes App Store, or by visiting the Stratford Police Department website.

“Our mission is the preservation of public peace and order, the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, and the protection of persons and property,” said Chief Joseph McNeil. “To achieve this goal, the department strives to gain and retain the confidence and respect of the public in such a way as to insure the welfare and betterment of the citizens of Stratford, and we believe our new app will help us better connect and engage with our residents.”

Read the full story from CTPost.

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New app encourages people to anonymously report crime

For Hamden Police, it is another step in helping to bridge the gap between police officers and the communities they protect. A new smartphone app called tip411 lets smartphone users submit crime tips anonymously.

“Often I’ll be in meetings and hear people say like I did yesterday, well, I didn’t want to bother the police. I heard from somebody else well, I want to be anonymous and I didn’t want to get involved so to speak,” said Hamden Chief of Police Thomas Wydra.

 Wydra said the goal of the department is to connect with everyone in the town but realizes certain groups of people are hesitant to engage. Officers believe the app will encourage people to alert them of suspicious activity.

“We wanna reach people who ordinarily might not be willing to engage with us for a variety of reasons. That includes kids, people whose immigration status may be in jeopardy or some other process they don’t want to engage the local police. This is another way for them to reach us,” said Wydra.

Read the full story and see the video from News 8 – WTNH.

new tip411 app Hamden Police
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New ‘tip411’ app to let the public help Hamden police anonymously

A new smartphone app will let town residents be part of the police force, allowing allow anyone who downloads it to send anonymous tips and get alerts about crime in the community.

The Legislative Council this week approved funds for the police department to purchase the app.

“We know people are scared or intimidated,” Police Chief Thomas Wydra said. “This is the perfect tool to overcome that fear. It’s a way to encourage people to engage with us.”

The app, called tip411, lets a user submit crime tips anonymously, which alleviates a fear some have of getting involved with police. A user also can include photos or video.

Another feature allows the department to send out alerts to the community about crimes in the area. The alerts can be categorized by type of crime and can be directed at particular communities and neighborhoods. Through the app, a person with information can also add a tip to a specific alert.

“We want to connect with everybody, but certain groups are timid,” Wydra said. He said he is thinking specifically about schoolchildren and people with questionable immigration status who may have a heightened fear of interacting with police. “The app reaches them,” he said.

Read the full story in the New Haven Register