Swampscott Police texting program so far a success

SWAMPSCOTT-A crime fighting program the police department rolled out a few months ago is paying off.In February, a new program was implemented that allows area residents to anonymously text a tip to the Swampscott Police Department and, to date, the department has received numerous tips, some of which have panned out.Police Chief Ronald Madigan said he is pleased the text tip line has struck a chord with the community.?It’s being utilized a lot more than I expected,” he said. “I’m happy it is proving useful and people are comfortable using it.”Madigan said tips the department has received to date include a report of an intoxicated unconscious teen and a possible shooting that was in the planning stages.?Some of the tips were credible and some are being investigated,” he said.Detective Rose Cheever, who also serves as the school resource officer in town, said the popularity of text messaging created an opportunity for the public to help law enforcement agencies fight crime. She encouraged residents and students to use the system to report illegal activity including vandalism, theft and the sale of drugs. She said the system could also be used to tip police officers off to crimes that are being planned.Madigan added if there is a crime in progress or an emergency situation, residents should still call 911 instead of sending a text message the information to police.?The text messages are sent by email and officers are not always able to monitor email,” he said. “In the event of a real emergency call 911.”Cell phone users can send their anonymous crime fighting tips to Swampscott police using anonymous text messaging and WebTips. The town and Anderson Software are providing the free service which allows citizens to send anonymous tips by sending a text message from a cell phone or online through their computer.TipSoft Text Tips allows information to be sent anonymously by encrypting messages and routing them through several secure servers. The program also allows police to respond by text message to the originating cell phone without knowing the phone number or identity of the individual who left the tip.The program assigns each caller an alias and a unique ID before being the message is sent to the police department.According to TipSoft, the application is designed to allow the tipster and the investigator to have two-way dialog while always keeping the user’s identity completely anonymous.You can send your anonymous tips to “CRIMES” or 274637 and enter the keyword “SPD” before the actual text message.