Government Technology - November 2008 - (Page 48)

justice j j Synopsis: Police add text message crime tips to their crime-fighting toolbox. S TAT E | L O C A L | F E D E R A L Agencies: District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department; Connecticut State Police. Fighting Crime B Y E L A I N E R U N D L E | S TA F F W R I T E R New Tools for Technologies: Text messages and server encryption. Contact: Connecticut State Police, Department of Public Safety, 860/685-8230, pio.dps@po.state .ct.us. S ending police crime-related information via text message might seem like a no-brainer to the nonstop, text-messaging public. But in reality, it’s a relatively new tactic making its way across the country. Some police departments looking to encourage citizens to share crime-related information are offering the new option. The move seems inevitable because 363 billion text messages were sent in the United States in 2007, according to CTIA-The Wireless Association. “The text-a-tip line is new, 21st-century technology that allows us to use another tool,” said Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police. “Cell phones are popular among all age groups, and we have introduced them as another tool to assist us in fighting crime.” Citizens can rest assured that sending a text message tip to the police department won’t compromise their anonymity. The texta-tip programs are Internet-based, and the text messages are run through third-party companies’ servers that encrypt the cell phone numbers before the messages reach the police department. Police encourage community to text-message crime tips. watch center reads the tip and gives the information to the appropriate branch. The district launched the program in spring 2008. According to Cmdr. Larry McCoy, bumper stickers displaying the text-a-tip information were put on all of the district’s police cruisers to promote the program. The stickers were also distributed to construction companies to put on their vehicles. “It’s going to be huge, I think,” McCoy said. “It’s probably going to be to the point that we are going to have to assign additional manpower just to monitor it.” The district’s program doesn’t allow police to communicate with the texter and there is no follow-up. “[It’s] totally anonymous and that might be part of the reason we’re getting so many tips,” McCoy said. “People feel confident that it is, No. 1, anonymous and there is no voice contact whatsoever. You send your text, and it is done.” Fingertip Communication Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department encourages citizens to “give the 5-0 the 411” — street slang for communicating with police. Hence the number is 50411 for sending text message crime tips. When a text message is sent to 50411, it’s routed through messaging company GoLive Mobile, and the phone number is encrypted. Then the message is sent to the police department as an e-mail where an officer in the department’s NOV_08 48 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - November 2008

Government Technology - November 2008 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for … Forward Thinkers Taking Tech Home Virtual Frontier Hidden Costs Uncovered Seeing Red For the Record In the Loop Benign Dictatorship Home-Field Advantage A Better Way to Park New Tools for Fighting Crime How It Works Spectrum Products Two Cents signal:noise

Government Technology - November 2008

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