tip411 In The News

Walker County, AL launches tip411 crime reporting app

The Walker County Sheriff’s Office now has an app called Walker Tips that lets residents report crime and remain anonymous. Citizens can send a text tip by texting WALKER plus the tip to 847411.

The project came together with help from the Walker County Chamber of Commerce, Community in Action Coalition and District Attorney Bill Adair.

The push in Walker County is to encourage people to download the free app and use it when they see a problem, from a possible drunk driver to suspicious activity.

Authorities hope this gets teens and young adults more active and reporting crime.

“It’s an easy way for them to communicate their concerns without exposing them to ridicule or peer pressure,” Judge Henry Allred said.

“This is a chance for each of us to be anonymous, completely anonymous, and still fight crime,” Tina Aaron with Community in Action Coalition said.

See Full Story

tip411 Admin Resources, Agency Spotlight

What Made for a Successful Launch in Onondaga County, NY?

To announce tip411’s arrival at 20 agencies in the Syracuse area, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick did three important things:

  1. Held a press conference and invited chiefs from local departments to attend to show their support for the system and promote its use to local media outlets.
  2. Produced posters and flyers showing agency-specific tip411 keywords that participating agencies could hand out, give to business, hang in city buildings, and use on their social media sites and webpages.
  3. Participated in ongoing promotion – Aside from the initial press conference, the DA and Syracuse Police Chief gave one-on-one interviews to media outlets in the days following the launch to assure continued coverage of the new system in order to reach more members of the public.

See More:

Video – District Attorney Fitzpatrick discusses tip411 outreach
Video -Onondaga County Lauches tip411

 

tip411 In The News

Fredericksburg police launch anonymous tip app

Members of the public have a new way to submit anonymous tips to the Fredericksburg Police Department.

The department has launched a new smartphone app that will allow tipsters to pass on information to the police.

The public can already call police with anonymous tips, or text the department at 847-411 and then text “FPDTip” and then their tip, but this opens up a third avenue.

In all three forms, the tips are sent directly to the department’s communication center. When a person sends a tip, they’ll get a confirmation message. Photos can also be submitted.

The department has not tracked the number of anonymous tips they received, but Police Spokeswoman Sarah Kirkpatrick said several hundred come in per year. Capt. Rick Pennock said tips are essential, and appreciated.

“A lot of major crimes are solved with the public’s help,” he said.

The app was launched in city schools last year as a pilot program, Kirkpatrick said.

“The school resource officers got tips about fights, drug deals, and prevented crimes from happening because of FPD Tip,” she said.

Police say the app may appeal to some people who are reluctant to phone in tips to dispatchers because those calls are recorded. The app does not require the tipster to provide any personal information.

“If they feel safe and secure in giving us a tip through an anonymous way, it’s more help,” Pennock said.

Read the full story at Fredericksburg.com

tip411 In The News

Text a tip about crime in Berks County

Submitting an anonymous tip about crime in Berks County is now easier than ever before.

Crime Alert Berks County unveiled its first-ever text-a-tip program during a news conference at the district attorney’s field office in Bern Township on Thursday.

The volunteer Crime Stoppers group’s new partnership with tip411 allows anyone with information about crime in Berks to text an anonymous tip to 847411 (tip411), beginning the message with the keyword alertberks.

“Texting has become the new wave of communication,” said Berks County District Attorney John Adams, who serves on Crime Alert’s advisory board. “Teenagers and adults seem to utilize this method of communication more so than picking up a telephone. Accepting tips by text should result in more tips that result in arrests, which equal a safer community.”

Anonymous tips can also be submitted securely through the free mobile app, which was also developed by Minnesota-based tip411.

Read the full story from WFMZ.com.

tip411 In The News

Announcing the New tip411 Mobile

tip411, a web-based toolset that helps law enforcement engage community members of all ages, has announced the introduction of its tip411 Mobile app as part of its new tip411 Pro subscription option for customers.

“We’ve listened to feedback from departments across the US and have built a more advanced, more innovative product to help police better engage their communities,” said tip411 President Terry Halsch. “With tip411 Mobile, departments can now customize the experience for their residents, share important information, and help the public join in the crime-fighting effort by easily submitting anonymous tips.”

Used in over 1,400 communities throughout the U.S., tip411 enables anyone with a cell phone to text anonymous tips to authorized personnel within an agency. Tips sent by the public are received in real-time and can be responded to in seconds via an interface that allows for secure web and text-based conversations.

Smartphone users can also download free apps to submit tips from their iPhone or Android, and now, with tip411 Pro, departments can create a custom, branded tip411 Mobile app for their agency.

“tip411 has been an important tool for our department and community over the last two years,” said Assistant Chief Todd Milburn of the Brooklyn Park, MN Police Department. “Being one of the first agencies to use the new tip411 Mobile app is exciting and will no doubt greatly benefit our residents and public safety in our community.”

Released in 2014, tip411 Version 7.0 was an internal update for departments that helped streamline anonymous tip delegation and escalation, community alert creation, publication, and social media connections, and provided a user-friendly administrative dashboard with enhanced reporting features to view key agency metrics.

Building off the success of the new version, tip411 Mobile significantly improves the public’s access to their police department by allowing residents to not only submit tips, but access agency alerts, social media channels, important information, and more to help fight crime from the palm of their hand.

“The tip411 system is essential to modern policing,” said Chief Anthony Holloway of the St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department. “I’ve used this system during my time as chief in Somerville, MA, Clearwater, FL, and now in St. Petersburg, and I truly believe this tool empowers officers and the community to engage in ways that were not possible before.”

Departments looking to improve their connection with the community now have more flexibility with three subscription levels: tip411 Basic, tip411 Bundle, and the new tip411 Pro which features the tip411 Mobile app.

To learn more about tip411 and how it’s helping agencies engage and interact with the public, visit www.tip411.com, watch this short video, and visit tip411 at Booth 3619 during this week’s IACP Conference in Chicago.