The Crestwood Police Department became the first department to feature the “tip411” anonymous tip service in the region recently.
The app, Crestwood MO PD, is featured on iTunes and the Google Play Store and allows users to receive emergency/community alerts, submit anonymous tips and have anonymous conversations with officers regarding the tips.
“Our mission is public service and we are proud of it,” Crestwood Police Chief Jonathan Williams stated in a press release. “To accomplish our mission we depend upon a partnership and communication with our community. We believe our new tip411 system, the first in the region, will help make it easier for our residents to contact us and share important information.”
Community Resource Officer Dion Olson said the department had been considering implementing a similar system in the past, and tip411 called them at the right time and made a good offer. The service costs $2,200 a year to use, and Crestwood is locked in for at least the next three years.
On-duty officers and detectives are expected to get the most use out of the app when investigating tips. Olson said Crestwood’s old system, Reverse 911, is becoming antiquated due to the use of cell phones, so an app would help add a relevant system to police communications.
The message conversations with officers allows users to attach videos and photos to messages, and the conversation stays open until the situation is resolved.
“People need to understand that this is not monitored like 911. If there is an emergency, don’t pull out this app and expect someone to respond to you. Dial 911,” Olson said.
Olson said more features will be added to the app as the department learns the system. He specifically mentioned crime mapping as an upcoming feature. The app would display a map with locations of recent crimes for users, while allowing police to study problem areas in the city.
Those without a smartphone can share information with police by sending an anonymous text tip via their cell phone to police by texting keyword CRESTWOODTIP and their message/tip to 847411 (tip411). Anonymous web tips can also be submitted via the department’s website at www.cityofcrestwood.org/210/Police.
