[July 28, 2011] Public has new ways to contact the police Tweet CLEARFIELD, Jul 28, 2011 (Standard-Examiner - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Police are always on the lookout for a good tip. "There are times in cases where we come to a dead end, where we've worked every lead we have and are looking for more information on places to look," said Clearfield Police Chief Greg Krusi. However, sometimes eyewitnesses are reluctant to come forward with information because they do not want their name in the police report. That could be because they are afraid of retaliation from potential or current suspects, or just do not want to have police trying to contact them for more information. Now, tipsters who want to remain anonymous can do so with a push of the send button. On Wednesday, Clearfield's police department and more than 50 Utah law enforcement agencies launched a new program, called TipSoft, that allows concerned residents to send tips via their mobile phones and computers. "Law enforcement agen- cies have to keep pace with technology to effectively fight crime," said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "We have lots of agencies on board, but we need to get the word out, so we can close cases and keep communities safe." Utahns can send anonymous tips through their mobile phones just by addressing the text to "CRIMES" (274637) and then starting the text message with an agencyspecific keyword. For example, someone wishing to contact the Roy Police Department would start the text message with ROYPD. Participating agencies can be found at www.tipsubmit.com. After the text, the tipster will receive a confirmation message with an assigned alias. That will allow an anonymous two-way communication between the person sending the tip and the agency with the tipster's identity still being unknown. "Even we can't discover who originated the tip," said Greg Whisenant, CEO of CrimeReports.com, the company that runs TipSoft. "This is really good for people who really have concerns in their neighborhood or have drug problems next door and don't want their name to get out," said South Ogden Police Chief Val Shupe. "Maybe we don't need to use their name and address, and when we get the tip we call in the ( Weber-Morgan Narcotics) Strike Force, and they go in and send in their informants." If the tipster does not want to be contacted by the law enforcement agency, they will have to reply with a text saying "STOP," and then they can no longer be contacted. "It's like they disappear," Whisenant said. Utah residents can also submit tips by visiting www. tipsubmit.com or by downloading a free smartphone app for iPhone or Android. The apps accept video and photo tips and automatically route the information to the nearest participating agency. Not all of Utah's law enforcement agencies are participating, including the Top of Utah's two biggest cities. "We're aware of it, and we're looking into it," said Layton Police Lt. Garret Atkin. Ogden's police department recently opened its real-time crime center, and Chief Jon Greiner said he is looking into the difference between the program Ogden uses and TipSoft. If Ogden is lacking a service TipSoft provides, Greiner said he is interested in using TipSoft because the program is free. The agencies do not have to pay for the program because funding was made available through a direct appropriation from the Utah Legislature. This allows law enforcement agencies to obtain and use the software at no direct cost for one year. "If it proves useful and we have to fund it in the future, then we will make that decision," Krusi said. Whisenant is confident this program is good for both the person offering the tip and the law agency receiving the information. "Let's face it, people know about crime and details," Whisenant said. "When they share that with law enforcement, it helps solve crimes. TipSoft removes barriers and gets the public to share information with law agencies without disclosing their identity." To see more of the Standard-Examiner, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.standard.net. Copyright (c) 2011, Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]