Anonymous tip texting app
admin In The News

Rockland law enforcement unveils anonymous tip texting app

Anyone who witnesses a crime or can provide information on wrongdoing can use a free anonymous cell phone application to text police.

The county’s social media-based tip411 application was unveiled Tuesday by the Rockland District Attorney’s Office and local police. The system has been used in Westchester County, as well as across the state and nation.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSYSwYWPjB0&w=560&h=315]

While police still want emergency calls to go to 911, tip411 is geared toward texting tips and video and could overcome fears of witness intimidation, authorities said during a news conference at the District Attorney’s Office in the Rockland Courthouse.

The application also allows for receiving police alerts and social media channels.

“Giving the public the ability to anonymously communicate with police will allow people to provide key information without fear of reprisal,” District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said. “Tip411 will also help to alleviate a lack of witness cooperation, which has hampered the investigative process in many criminal cases.”

The targeted audience is especially young people, who are rarely without their cell phones.

“Tell a young person to make a phone call and they don’t want to,” Zugibe said. “Tell them to send a text message, no problem.”

The “RocklandCo DA app” can be downloaded free from Google Play Store, iTunes App Store, or by visiting the District Attorney’s Office website at www.rocklandgov.com.

Police said the system enables people to send anonymous tips about crime, drugs, bullying and suspicious activity to their local police department with officers able to respond, creating a two-way chat.

Three ways to send tips:

  • Send anonymous text tips to 847411 – tip411- then type keyword “rocklandcoda” add a space, type your tip info and hit send.
  • An anonymous tip can be sent through the free RocklandCo DA Smartphone app for iPhone and Android or tablet.
  • Use the anonymous web tip form at the District Attorney’s Office at www.rocklandgov.com.
“This does not replace 911 for crimes in progress,” Zugibe said, adding the tips are an investigative tool for police to solve crimes. “The tips are 100 percent anonymous.”

Police said the tip system has been used in Westchester County for nearly six years and has helped solve “cold cases.”

The system costs $17,000 for 24 months. The cost is paid through funds seized from criminal enterprises, District Attorney’s Office Capt. Brendan Donohue said.

All tips will be investigated just as if a person called in on the telephone or walked into a police station, authorities said, referring to people submitting false information.

Zugibe also said the information is not prosecution testimony.

“This is not a substitute to testimony,”  he said. “This will be a valuable investigative tool.”

Read the full story from Lohud.

Fort Myers Police
admin In The News

tip411: You can send tips to Fort Myers Police via app or text

The Fort Myers Police Department launched a new way for people to report non-emergency crimes directly to officers anonymously.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG-Ka9_odSA&w=560&h=315]

The feature, called “Tip411” is part of the department’s revamped website, and comes in the form of an app.

The feature removes all identifying information from the tipster after a tip is submitted to ensure anonymity.

Police said that the feature is not meant to replace an emergency call to 911, but instead will guarantee 100 percent anonymity to anyone wishing to report a crime, danger, or suspicious activity.

Those without a smartphone can still access the feature by sending a tip via text. By texting the keyword, “FMPD” to 847411.

For smartphone users, the app is available for free in the Google Play Store, iTunes app store, or by visiting the Fort Myers Police Department’s website.

tip411 help fight crime
admin In The News

FMPD launches new crime-fighting app

The Fort Myers Police Department launches “tip411,” a crime-fighting tool for Southwest Florida residents.

“Tip411” is a app that allows residents to submit tips with their smartphones or through the website FMPD’s website.

“The new tip411 is an anonymous tip line designed to allow the public to report non-emergency criminal activity directly to the Fort Myers Police Department,” said Lt. William Musante of FMPD Support Operations.

Residents who use the system will be issued a randomly generated access code called, Tipster ID. Deputies are able to correspond with residents without seeing their personal information.

According to FMPD the new app, the website and the system are not meant to take the place of an emergency call to 911.

“It’s our duty to work to reduce crime and contribute to the safety of all in our community,” said Chief Derrick Diggs of the Fort Myers Police Department. “We do this through collaboration with our residents, and believe tip411 will us better engage community members of all ages and backgrounds to make Fort Myers a safer and more welcoming place for all.”

Read the full story from Fox4

New 'Tip" App
admin In The News

New ‘Tip’ App Leads To Marijuana Charge For Teen in Hamden, Connecticut

A tip received on Hamden’s new crime-fighting app led to the seizure of nearly 8 grams of marijuana and an infraction for a 17-year-old resident, according to police. At about 11:45 p.m. on Jan. 5, Hamden Police received a tip on the “Tip411” alert system, according to Capt. Ronald Smith.

Smith said the tipster reported that a suspicious motor vehicle was parked near a dumpster in the Chestnut Hill South parking lot. It was further reported that the occupant was engaging in “drug activity,” according to Smith.

Moments later, Officers Christina Giori and Devin Eaton located the vehicle in the parking lot. Smith said investigation led to the seizure of 7.86 grams of marijuana. The operator of the vehicle, a 17-year-old Hamden resident, was issued an infraction for possession of marijuana.

“Hamden Police would like to remind residents that ‘Tip 411’ is a free app that can be downloaded to a smartphone or computer,” Smith wrote in a press release. “Residents can share crime tips, report suspicious activity and aid family members in reporting domestic violence, drug abuse and bullying. Tips received by the Hamden Police Department remain anonymous.”

Read the story from the Hamden Patch

tip411 East Lyme Police
admin In The News

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