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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Duluth - Police Department
Mike Ceynowa, Chief of Police
2030 North Arlington Avenue • Duluth, Minnesota 55811 • www.duluthmn.gov
2030 North Arlington Avenue • Duluth, Minnesota 55811 • www.duluthmn.gov
For more information contact:
Public Information Officer, Mattie Hjelseth at (218) 730-5434 or mhjelseth@duluthmn.gov
Public Information Officer, Mattie Hjelseth at (218) 730-5434 or mhjelseth@duluthmn.gov
DATE: 12/17/2013
SUBJECT: Duluth Police launches tip411 text program
BY: DPD Public Information Officer Jim Hansen (218) 390-2232
NATURE OF INCIDENT: Duluth Police launches tip411 text program
CASE NO.:
INCIDENT DATE: 12/17/2013
INCIDENT TIME:
INCIDENT LOCATION: Duluth, MN
SUBJECT: Duluth Police launches tip411 text program
BY: DPD Public Information Officer Jim Hansen (218) 390-2232
NATURE OF INCIDENT: Duluth Police launches tip411 text program
CASE NO.:
INCIDENT DATE: 12/17/2013
INCIDENT TIME:
INCIDENT LOCATION: Duluth, MN
Duluth Police launches national tip411 anonymous text program
Police add a new dimension to Eyes and Ears on the street to help create a safer community.
The Duluth Police Department is launching tip411, an internet based tool that enables the public to text message an anonymous tip to police, and lets the police respond back creating a two way anonymous “chat”.
Reserved exclusively for Public Safety purposes and powered by CitizenObserver, a St. Paul MN company, tip411 puts a powerful new crime fighting tool into the hands of our community for all ages and demographics.
“We’re proud to be part of a national program that benefits over 1000 communities around the county. This new capability will help our citizens play an active role in keeping neighborhoods safer, it will engage a younger demographic in the process, and it will save our agency time and resources." Anyone with a cell phone can now send an anonymous tip to Duluth Police Department by texting the word DPDTIP and the tip information to 847411 (tip411).
Anonymous web tips can also be submitted right from the Police Departments website at http://www.duluthmn.gov/police/index.cfm its 100% anonymous. CitizenObserver’s technology removes all identifying information before the Police Department see’s it so there’s no way to identify the sender.
According to Chief Gordon Ramsay, this capability is a new paradigm for creating safer communities – especially in reaching out to a younger age demographic. “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.”
CitizenObserver is a St. Paul, MN company founded in 2000, provides web based alerting tools to law enforcement, education, and public safety agencies in over 40 states.
