The Bloomington, Ill., Police Department has launched a new system where residents can submit police tips anonymously via text message.
The police department said the Anonymous Text to Tips System “empowers members of the public to share important public safety information anonymously with the department by sending a secure text message about crimes or suspicious activity in Bloomington.”
The new system, an internet-based tool from Citizen Observer, also lets the department respond back to the citizen via text in an anonymous two-way conversation. The police department stressed that the tip411 system from Citizen Observer is “100 percent anonymous,” as the technology removes all identifying information before the department receives it and there is no way to identify the sender.
“Our mission is to work in partnership with the community members of Bloomington to enforce the laws and to enhance the quality of life in our community,” said Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington. “It is this partnership which will allow for collaborative problem-solving, crime prevention, and safer neighborhoods. We also believe that our pro-active use of new and existing technologies increases our capability to make the City of Bloomington safer.”
Anyone with a cell phone may send an anonymous crime tip to Bloomington Police by texting the word BPDTIPS followed by their message/tip to 847411.
