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Crime & Safety

Fighting Crime One Text at a Time

A new text message program allows teens, others to send anonymous tips to police.

Got a tip? Text it. That's the message Des Plaines and Park Ridge officials are sending teenagers and other residents this school year. The TXTaTIP program, launched Aug. 3, represents the latest trend in providing information about crime.

Angela Burton, Des Plaines deputy chief of police, is helping spread the word.

"The days of calling the police may not be the same for this generation as others," she said. "So we just want to find another avenue for them to easily communicate with the police."

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The program is operated through a third-party vendor, Anderson Software, so tipsters may choose to remain anonymous. It is funded by Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation (MCYAF) at 2720 River Rd., a nonprofit coalition of area municipalities, schools, parents and youth, with a mission to reduce alcohol and drug use among teens.

Before becoming a deputy chief, Burton was a juvenile officer in the mid-90s. She has seen first-hand the deadly effects of underage drinking.

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"We would like to get information about parties," Burton said. "The capacity for alcohol at that age is just not healthy. If they leave from a party, they get in an accident, they could be killed, and they could kill somebody else. That's a lot to have to live with.

"If they knew that they could prevent something like that from happening, I think that would be quite rewarding," she added.

Tipsters can send a text to CRIMES (274637), and begin the message with "ICARE" so Anderson Software's system recognizes it as information for Des Plaines and Park Ridge police departments.

The sender receives a message back with an anonymous identification number in alphanumeric code. All subsequent messages between the tipster and police go through Anderson's system the same way.

"That's important to us so that the integrity of the system remains in place because we understand that's a key component of this: the trust and the integrity," Burton said. "And that's why the third-party vendor actually controls this."

The deputy chief said while messages are received and read immediately, residents should only use the text-a-tip system if it is a nonemergency, or a situation that does not need an immediate response.

"At no time do we want to replace 911 calls with text a tip," Burton said. "Nine-one-one calls are emergency calls that need attention right away. That is not the type of crime we want reported on text a tip. Text a tip is for crimes that can wait, or need investigation, or that we can kind of take our time with."

Michael Duebner, the city's director of information technology, integrated the system with police commanders' mobile devices, and his department ensures the program is technically sound. He said the potential misconception of text-a-tip's purpose was a concern from the start.

"There's a generational misunderstanding that, why can't I text 911?" Duebner said. "I can text everyone that I know of, and unfortunately our phone system in the state of Illinois is so antiquated that it does not allow us to text 911. So we wouldn't want people to use this for that purpose."

Burton has worked for the Des Plaines Police Department for 22 years. She understands what is at stake when it comes to receiving intelligence from the community, and she is confident in young people's ability to help.

"These kids know what's going on in the neighborhood," Burton said. "They know what's happening; they know who's doing what. And I think that they know what's right and what's wrong.

"Now we have to give them an avenue to act on reporting on what they know is right and wrong. And by them reporting that, they can maybe save a life," she said.

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