Author Topic: Hackensack Police/Mobile App  (Read 3687 times)

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Hackensack Police/Mobile App
« on: August 08, 2012, 09:20:24 AM »
Hackensack police hope to engage tipsters through texts, mobile app
Updated: Tuesday, August 07, 2012, 2:24 PM
By Dan Ivers/NJ.com

HACKENSACK — The city's police department is taking advantage of current cell phone technologies in hopes of engaging potential tipsters.

The department can now receive anonymous tips via text message or mobile apps for the IPhone or Android.

The application, called TipSoft, is being utilized by departments around the county, which have received more than two million anonymous tips through the service, according to Hackensack Interim Chief Tomas J. Padilla.

The prevalence of text messaging has increased the desire to harness its power to help solve crimes, Padilla said. The TipSoft technology allows police and citizens to engage in a two-way text message conversation, all of which is encrypted and conducted over a secure server to ensure police are never able to access the tipster's identity.

"In this day and age, technology and social media is how people communicate," Padilla said. "By allowing them to use this new system, they are able to easily communicate with us and feel comfortable their identity is protected."

It will cost the department around $2,000 to use TipSoft for the first year - all of which will be paid through forfeiture funds seized from drug dealers and other criminals.

The mobile app also provides users the opportunity to receive notice about public safety notices or important events.

Police said residents are encouraged to offer tips on anything from serious and urgent crimes to nuisances such as vandalism, theft or the sale and distribution of drugs.

To download the TipSoft app, search "TipSubmit" over your cell phone provider's application store. To offer an anonymous tip through text messaging, send it to "CRIMES" (274637) with the keyword "HACKPD" from any mobile phone.
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Re: Hackensack Police/Mobile App
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2012, 09:27:56 AM »
Yes, there’s an app for that
Friday, September 7, 2012
Hackensack Chronicle

Have a tip for police? There's an app for that.

It's a sign of the times. As technology continues to advance and change the way we communicate with family and friends, so too do the way police communicate with and serve the public.

The Hackensack Police Department recently announced their use of TipSoft, a service that allows citizens to anonymously text tips to police through a free app downloaded on smart phones. Interim Police Chief Tomas J. Padilla said one of the things that he liked about the service is that it allows people to communicate in a way they have come to do on a daily basis.

The use of services such as TipSoft is just one of the many examples of the way law enforcement agencies have started embracing new technology in their line of work.

More and more police departments – including Hackensack – are using social media and advancing technology not only as ways to provide crime prevention and safety tips, but also as a way to have citizens report crimes or share information.

Technology has given police a way to communicate with the public they serve in a way they never have before. Departments can keep residents updated on crime trends in town, such as where car burglaries are being reported or what section has seen a rise in criminal mischief. It also provides police with a way to reach the public about a missing child or adult, which helps investigators to have an army of eyes on the street keeping a look out.

We applaud the Hackensack Police Department's use of such a progressive service that allows citizens to report tips to investigators in a way they never have before. We hope the department will continue to investigate and pursue ways to reach out to the community through commonly used forms of technology, such as social media sites and smart phone services like TipSoft.

We also encourage Hackensack residents and visitors to make use of this new service and to sign up to follow the department on Twitter and Facebook.

 

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