Fighting Crime Could Possibly Be a Text Message Away
by Darla Mack
An interesting story aired last night on ABC. I was watching the news and they had a segment on crime fighing via text message. Apparently this stemmed from an event which resulted in a positive outcome… all by the means of a text.
2 young teens were kidnapped outside of a night club in Atlanta. While locked in the trunk of the car one of the teens managed to send a text message to his brother who then alerted 911 which led to the capture of the kidnappers.
Could something as simple as text-messaging be the newest way of crime fighting? Whats interesting is that some of the people that were spoken to admitted that it would be easier and more annoymous because no one would actually be overheard if placing a 911 phone call. According to a quote on ABC’s website:
It’s that kind of initiative that has police departments looking to use cell phones as another type of crime-fighting tool, as Americans send more than 18 billion text messages each month.
Currently, this crime fighting tactic is being utilized by the Boston Police Department. By texting C-R-I-M-E (27463) messages are received via a dispatch center similar to 911 response.
The Boston Police Department is the first in the country to create an anonymous texting tip line — so, if someone spots suspicious activity in the area, he or she can text the letters C-R-I-M-E, or the numbers 27463, and engage in an anonymous dialogue with a dispatcher.
Tips are anonymous and confidential and its even suggested on the BDP website that users delete all incoming and outgoing messages.
