Now, you don’t need a dime to drop a dime — you can let your fingers do the talking.
Bristol County residents have a new way to reach out to law enforcement, District Attorney Sam Sutter announced Thursday.
The “Text-A-Tip” program is being rolled out, allowing residents in the county to use mobile phones and e-mail to make anonymous tips through a website that will be maintained by the district attorney.
Mobile phone users who want to send text tips may dial 274637 (which spells CRIMES), then text the code CALL50.
Individuals on the Internet can visit tipsubmit.com, go to the “Submit a tip” section and type in whatever information they wish to provide.
“The tipster will be completely anonymous,” Sutter said. “Any attempt to identify the tipster will be fruitless because the tip will first go to Canada to be assigned an ID.” After that, it is directed to the appropriate department.
According to Sutter, the “Text-A-Tip” service is based in Canada because Canadian law does not allow anyone to learn the identity of anonymous informants — not even members of law enforcement.
All 20 cities and towns in Bristol County will participate in the program, Sutter said. There will also be a tip database so all departments can review tips made to other municipalities.
Raynham Police Chief Louis Pacheco has been Sutter’s point person in the “Text-A-Tip” effort.
“This system is used in 40 of the 50 biggest cities in the United States,” Pacheco said. “No one has had their anonymity compromised.”
Sutter said the program has accepted 1.6 million tips since it began three years ago. There has never been a tipster identified who wished to remain anonymous.
Pacheco said the system works better than the telephone tip line. Everyone making a tip gets an identification number. Investigators are able to send messages through the system to the ID number and get a reply.
The program is for non-emergency calls and tips, Pacheco said. Anyone witnessing an emergency is urged to call 911.
It is sure to help, according to Fall River Police Chief Daniel Racine.
“Information is our lifeblood,” he said. “It is key to any investigation.
“This is a great way to receive it.”