use of SMS preventing crime spread

Police Text Crime Away
By Brad Smith
WirelessWeek - June 15, 2007

Boston Police have found a new way to use text messaging, this time to stop crime.

In what is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States, Boston Police have teamed up with technology provider VeriSign and the Hill Holliday marketing agency to promote the use of anonymous SMS as part of the city's Crime Stoppers program.

The SMS campaign is aimed at encouraging young people to tip off the police if they see a crime happening. The text messages, sent to the short code 27463 (CRIME), are filtered through VeriSign's software so the sender remains anonymous, according to Oliver Holle, the company's vice president of mobile applications.

SMS has the advantage over placing a voice call because it can be done without arousing suspicion, Holle says. Bostonians can still call the 800 Crime Stoppers number or 911.

Boston Police came up with the idea to use SMS and sought out partners to help put it together, Holle says. Hill Holliday has donated advertising to promote the campaign.

Holle says it makes sense to use SMS in a crime-fighting campaign because texting is often the preferred method of mobile communications among young adults and teenagers. He cited a study by M:Metrics that 70 percent of young adults 18-24 and nearly 60 percent of teenagers send text messages every month.

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis told The Boston Globe that New York City and Los Angeles have been experimenting with using SMS to 911 dispatchers but no other police department has such a comprehensive texting program.

The Boston tips require only that someone send the word "tip" to the short code. Boston police then respond to the message assuring the tipster that the messages are anonymous and ask for more information. Tipsters can respond with a single letter to designate the type of crime they have witnessed. The system is automated to ask for further details, such as time and location.

VeriSign's system assigns a randomly generated number to tipsters, which can be used to eventually contact the tipster if a reward is offered.