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Friday, February 10, 2012
Crime reporting at the touch of a button
by Raoul Kleven, published on March 21, 2009 at 6:14 PM
Storyline: Sacramento News
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The Sacramento Police Department is urging citizens to use their cell phones to text information about crimes to the Sacramento Crime Alert program.
Citizens who see a crime and wish to inform police are instructed to text SACTIP and the details of their information to 274637, or CRIMES. Two-way conversation with an officer is possible, although it can be ended whenever the informer wants. Sacramento Police Sergeant Norm Leong said that no phone numbers were stored by the police department, and guaranteed privacy to anyone using the system.
The program is a way for people to anonymously inform law enforcement of illegal activity that they would otherwise be hesitant to reveal due to the fear of retribution. Rewards of up to $1,000 are offered to provide an incentive. In addition to texting, the Crime Alert program can be reached by calling either 443-HELP or 1-800-AA-CRIME, and by using the Webtips program to submit information online.
Sergeant Leong said that extending the Crime Alert system to include texting would hopefully encourage young people and others distrustful of police to become more involved with the process of keeping their neighborhoods safe.
The Sacramento Crime Alert website can be found here.
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The point of the program isn't that it's somehow more anonymous, it's that it adds another avenue for people who want to report crimes. Especially young people who are constantly texting anyway.