Last year, the Clinton Police Department rolled out an anonymous texting service that opened another avenue for citizens to report suspicious activity and incidents the agency could use to solve crimes. Now, through its own phone app, the department is making that process even easier — and more visual.
The ‘tipcpd’ app is available for free through the App Store on Apple and Android phones, and allows for quick and anonymous submission of tips from local citizens. As with the existing texting service, residents will be able to text back and forth with local law enforcement while remaining completely unknown to officers.
“We implemented it last year as just the texting of anonymous tips,” Police Capt. Donald Edwards said this week. “We’ve had some pretty good success and got tips on many cases. We’re excited about this new feature because it opens up the door for the ease of sending messages and the ability to attach pictures.”
The new app is an expansion of Tip411, a high-tech system that allows for anonymous texting of tips. Unrolled last summer, the Tip411 system has been utilized approximately 30 times for anonymous tips, ranging from those on murders to what Edwards called “day-to-day complaints,” which can be suspicious activity or other incidents where someone does not want to call 911.
Read the rest of the story in the Sampson Independent.