Providence is the latest, joining the Cranston and Warwick police departments, in using crime prevention tools from CrimeReports to enlist great public interaction. CrimeReports, developed by Public Engines, is the worlds most deployed online crime map, where local residents can access and track any kind of crime through the Web or by receiving email-based alerts. East Providence Police Department will also be joining the crime map in the very near future.
We are a community-based organization and this new sharing tool goes hand-in-hand with our community-based philosophy of being more open, approachable, and accountable. This is a partnership of inclusion with the community who will have accurate and timely information of crime in their particular neighborhoods as well as throughout the city, says Chief Hugh Clements of the Providence Police Department. More than 1,200 law enforcement agencies across North America are sharing their crime information with the public through CrimeReports national crime map, which now covers nearly 30% of the US population.
In addition to CrimeReports, the agencies have benefited from also using a second product, CommandCentral, which provides detailed real-time crime information in the hands of officers to analyze, solve, and prevent crimes. Although the department could have gotten either CommandCentral or CrimeReports individually, Chief Stephen McCartney of the Warwick Police Department said, the department opted for both not only for transparency, but for greater intelligence led policing.
The Providence and Cranston departments have also deployed TipSoft, an interactive communication tool, which allows citizens to submit anonymous tips to the law enforcement agencies through text messages, phone application for iPhone and Android, or the web. TipSoft has received more than 2 million tips to date, resulting in 145,000 arrests, 55,000 apprehended fugitives, 11,000 recovered vehicles, $5.3 billion in recovered drugs and property and 22,000 recovered weapons.
If you have either a cell phone or smart phone and know how to send a text, you know how to use TipSoft, said Marco Palombo, Chief of the Cranston Police Department. And with TipSoft, we can communicate back and forth with the public while maintaining the sources anonymity.
William Kilmer, CEO of CrimeReports said the web-based CrimeReports service is designed to be affordable for law enforcement agencies of all sizes. Providence Police Department is demonstrating its leadership in law enforcement by connecting with its citizens at a personal level, Kilmer said. With us, they are recognizing the value of the publics involvement and being proactive in both policing and investing in programs that make a difference.
Additional information about CrimeReports, Command Central or TipSoft as well as mobile applications are available at www.crimereports.com or www.tipsoft.com.