Lynn tip line helps infant

LYNN – A two-month-old infant was found living amid squalid conditions in an apartment on Western Avenue Monday afternoon.The house of filth was made known to Lynn police following an anonymous message placed to tip411, a new service recently launched by the department that enables the public to send an anonymous message on a cellular phone by texting the word tiplynn and the information to tip411 or 847411.Lynn Police Lt. William Sharpe said the tipster relayed that the infant was living with mentally-challenged parents in an apartment encased by dirt and grime, with garbage piled high and dirty clothes strewn about. The infant was also said to be sleeping in a broken crib constantly crying and that the shades of the windows are never drawn to allow sunlight into the residence.When police arrived, Sharpe said they found that the child was being provided with food and clothing, but that the conditions of the apartment were in a state of severe disarray.”Police determined that there was no immediate danger to the child, however, it was determined that the family and child may benefit from assistance offered through the Department of Children and Families (DCF),” he said.Sharpe said the referral to DCF would not have been made possible without the help of the concerned citizen who tipped the police. The names of the infant’s parents were not released.Lynn Chief of Police Kevin Coppinger praised the program and said it offers a new paradigm for creating safer communities.”When someone feels afraid to come forward, or simply feels like they don’t want to get involved, this can be a great way to pass information on without fear of retribution,” he said. “We’re proud to be a part of a national program that agencies in over 27 states are currently active with. This new capability will help our citizens play an active role in keeping neighborhoods safer, it will engage younger segments of the population in the process, and it will save our agency time and resources.”A strong proponent of the new program, Ward 4 City Councilor Richard Colucci worked closely with the Lynn police in facilitating it.”When I first heard that today’s technology would allow our police department the capability to text message back and forth with an anonymous tipster, I thought it was a great idea,” he said. “Now we’ve opened up a new resource for our citizens, especially the kids, to help solve or better yet prevent crimes before they happen.”Tipsters who text a tip can also allow police to respond back to them when the tip is reviewed.Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the police department’s web site at www.lynnpolice.org and clicking the submit tip icon.Sharpe reemphasized that tips are not live monitored and that anyone with immediate concerns should call either 911 or the police department at 781-595-2000.For those who don’t have access to a cellular phone or the internet, the department also has a regular phone tip line service of 781-477-4444. A Spanish language function was recently added to the tip line to allow for those who speak Spanish to leave tips.