Starting today anyone with information on a crime in the Seattle metro area can text a crime tip to the authorities.
Seattle is the third U.S. city to implement the text-a-tip program after Cincinnatti and Boston. Tips are texted anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.
"Today's generation is into text messaging. E-mail and telephones are, like, things of the past," said Ron Conlin, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound president, adding, "We think this will basically open up Crime Stoppers to a lot of eyes and ears that maybe hadn't been opened before."
This service seems particularly helpful for those of us living in the Belltown neighborhood as we all know there can be some shady activity going on at that dog park.
If you see a crime, text CRIMES or 274637.
Your text should begin with "Tip 486" and should include a space before typing in the crime details. You will receive an alias that you can check on, in the case that your tip leads to an arrest and possible reward.
It seems ridiculous that you need to prefix your txt with Tip 486. Who is going to remember that as they are reporting suspicious activity?
You can at least remember CRIMES or even store the 274637 in your cell phone... but Tip 486 isn't something that is easily stored on most phones.