County Launches New Crime Tips App for Public to Help Police
Most of Westchester’s law enforcement agencies are depending on the public and 21st century technology to help fight crime.
District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced on Thursday the launch of tip411, a new program that will allow anyone with a computer, Smartphone, cell phone or tablet to anonymously provide tips of suspicious activity to their local police department.
Surrounded by brass from several local police forces, DiFiore said civilians will be able to install the Westchester County Crime Tips app for their Android or iPhone available on the iTunes or Google Play stores at WC Crimetips. People can also participate by logging on to the Westchester County Crime Tips Facebook page or by texting using a traditional cell phone.
“We all have cell phones, we all text, we all send photographs, we all send e-mails,” DiFiore said. “We are now encouraging people in the community to do the same.”
The software for the program was developed by CitizenObserver, a company in St. Paul, Minn. that provides web-based alerting tools to law enforcement and public safety agencies in more than 40 states. The Yonkers Police Department has been using the same interactive technology with success for the past four years.
Individuals will be able to send any tips to 847411 (tip411). Each town’s police department has its own keyword.
“We do believe, as I’ve said before, that the police can’t do their job unless people in the community, on the ground, are accurately and timely reporting information” to authorities, DiFiore said.
DiFiore stressed that tip411is not a substitute for dialing 911 in the event of an emergency.
Of the 42 local departments in the county, 37 have signed on to participate, including virtually every fulltime department, she said.
Yonkers Detective Lt. Patrick McCormack said that city’s department, one of the first in the metropolitan area to use the technology starting in 2010, said the system has yielded good results since it was introduced.
It allows the public to instantly send information about drug activity or other suspicious or criminal activity.
“There’s been some degree of truth to them, if not outright new investigations that have been started or valuable intelligence about existing investigations that we have,” McCormack said of many of the tips that have been provided. “We can’t say enough good things about the program.”
DiFiore said an important feature is that the anonymity of the sender is maintained by removing all indentifying information before the police department sees it. However, if someone wants to be known, they can choose to identify themselves, she said.
Messages can be responded to in real time in case the police request additional information. In addition, photos and video can also be sent.
“Fighting crime needs the support of all members of the community,” said Rye Brook Police Chief Gregory Austin, president of the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association. “Giving the public the ability to anonymously communicate with the police will hopefully give people who would not normally come forward with crime tips the ability to do so.”
DiFiore said the program is funded through the district attorney’s budget, which helps to save municipalities the expense of buying and installing the technology. However, each department’s personnel will be responsible for monitoring and responding to the tips received, she said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/