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tip411: An IT Professional Perspective

tip411 recently interviewed Scott Price of the Information Technology Unit at the Pennsauken, New Jersey Police Department (87 sworn officers) about his agency’s use of tip411’s anonymous tips tool. Price said the tip411 tool is an easy, instant way for the police to communicate with the public, is extremely user friendly, was simple to setup and requires minimal intervention from him.

Q: From an IT perspective, what makes tip411 a great tool?
A: It is an easy, instant way for the police to communicate with the public. The public usually receives a faster response time when submitting a tip as the tip goes directly to a supervisor on duty as apposed to a call center for our County Dispatch.

Q: Can you provide some details on how easy it was to set tip411 up for your department and the ease of use for your personnel?
A: The web interface is extremely user friendly. Very little was required from me, besides inputting our department-specific information. When information was required, tip411 staff was available and guided me through the process. The platform is self-explanatory and officers can navigate it easily. 

Q: As a member of the IT Unit, can you speak to tip411’s functionality and security?
A: Out of all of the computer programs, applications, and software that officers use, this one requires minimal intervention from me. Once set up, it just works! As for security, I have not been able to find any problems with it. Individual user access can be set to see as much or as little as the Chief decides.

Q: How is tip411 administered in your department (responsibilities, protocols, etc.)?
A: Every Officer has downloaded the application on their phone. Supervisors, administration, and a dedicated cellular telephone at the Information Officer’s Desk all receive the incoming tips. When a tip is received, the supervisor will respond to the tipster. If a supervisor is busy, the Officer working the Information Desk can respond. The tip is then given over the radio to the officer in the district where the tip was received so they can investigate. The Alert function is also broken down into several groups such as specific area districts, Township news, Township events, press releases, traffic incidents/closures, and Community Policing events. The most used one is an internal group for all Officers where things such as overtime details, point of information alerts, BOLO alerts, and announcements are made. Since every Officer has the application on their phone, they are immediately notified of important information. Speed studies, temporary road closures, missing persons, and significant arrests are the next most used alert groups we have.  

Q: How has the tip411 system aided your department?
A:  The department is now able to get information out to the public in real time. For example, we don’t have to hope that someone sees a post on social media when we have a missing person – now they will see it as soon as the department sends the alert. 

Q: Any advice for other departments considering tip411?
A: Price and functionality is what it comes down to. For the same price you are paying for that program that sends a text message to your residents, you could be having 2-way conversations with them through tip411. You can also utilize the system to instantly alert the public of danger, re-route them around a dangerous traffic incident, or invite them to community events.

Q: Tell us about your community and the Pennsauken Police Department (how many residents, how many sworn, etc.).
A: Pennsauken Township is 12.1 square miles with a population of 36,000 residents. It is bordered by Camden City, Cherry Hill Township, Cinnaminson Township and Merchantville Township. Our 87 sworn officers are on track to respond for roughly 80,000 calls for service in 2023.

tip411 Tip Leads to Arrest of Two Men on Gun Charges in Wilmington

wilmington pd help fight crime

Wilmington, NC Police Department (228 sworn officers) charged two adults with gun charges thanks to a citizen who utilized their tip411 anonymous tip application. They provided information on two men walking around in broad daylight while wearing ski masks.

Wilmington PD followed up on the lead, which led to stopping and searching 19-year-old Sencere Ortiz and 21-year-old Dorian McNeil.

The police officers also searched the surrounding area and found two handguns and drug paraphernalia, which led to charges on the two individuals. 

wilmington pd arrestOrtiz was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a schedule VI controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He received a $5,000 secured bond.

McNeil was charged with felony carrying a concealed weapon and received a $10,000 secured bond. 

tip411 is an anonymous tip application that gets citizen more involved with law enforcement and their community by providing multiple ways to send tips directly to police, including direct texting.

The anonymous tip tool provides law enforcement with increased tips, higher quality tips, and improved citizen engagement.

The Wilmington Police Department mobile app is available to download for free from the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store. Citizens can also submit an anonymous text tip via their cell phone by texting the keyword “WPDNC” and their message/tip to 847411.

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Globe PD Utilizes tip411 Alerts to Ask the Public For Help Identifying Suspects

In Arizona, the Globe Police Department (26 sworn officers) recently sent out a mass alert to the public through the tip411 mobile application. 

On Saturday, September 2, 2023 at approximately 11:00 pm, three unknown subjects entered and trespassed on the Old Dominion Mine property.

three suspectsAll three suspects stole a large amount of Copper wire from the mine. One of the subjects is a female and the other two appear to be males with their faces covered.

Globe PD is asking the community to stay vigilant and report any sightings.

tip411 is a two-way tip mobile application that connects citizens directly to law enforcement while maintaining the citizens’ anonymity.

The Globe Police Department mobile app is available to download for free from the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store. Citizens can also submit an anonymous text tip via their cell phone by texting the keyword “GPDTIPS” and their message/tip to 847411.

See the alert HERE.

Anonymous Tip Leads to Felony Arrest for Alaska State Troopers

Alaska State Troopers (350 sworn officers) received an anonymous tip that led to the arrest of a suspect who had a felony warrant. 

Gareth Ward, who was described by Alaska State Troopers as a “very dangerous fugitive”, was arrested after a citizen submitted an anonymous tip through tip411.

tip411 is a web-based toolset that allows any agency and the public to interact with each other like never before in real-time.

The tipster helped Alaska State Troopers locate the fugitive by reporting the location of the fugitive directly to the appropriate authorities. 

Check out the alert HERE

The Alaska State Troopers mobile app is available to download for free from the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store. Citizens can also submit an anonymous text tip via their cell phone by texting the keyword “AKTIPS” and their message/tip to 847411.

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Lake County Sheriff’s Department Acquires Tip that Leads to Massive Raid

Drug bustIn Hobart, Indiana, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department (183 sworn officers) recently received an anonymous tip through the tip411 mobile app. The tip led to a successful drug raid and the arrest of 20-year-old suspect, Alexander Taylor.

Items seized in the raid included:

  • $49,766 in U.S. currency
  • 3 pistols
  • 3 rifles
  • 49.5 lbs. of raw marijuana
  • 1.2 lbs. of packaged marijuana
  • 5.2 lbs. of pre-rolled cigars or cigarettes containing marijuana
  • 38 lbs. of gummy THC edibles
  • 45.4 lbs. of wax (concentrated THC)
  • 1/2 lb. of mushrooms
  • 1010 THC vape cartridges

The tip411 app enables the public to share an anonymous tip with police and allows officers to respond in a two-way conversation that removes all identifying information of the sender.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office mobile app is available to download for free from the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store. Citizens can also submit an anonymous text tip via their cell phone by texting the keyword “LCSO” and their message/tip to 847411.

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