Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Police offering text, web tip system

Benna Sayyed

Clovis residents can help local law enforcement fight crime by providing anonymous text message and web tips.

The Clovis Police Department has partnered with CrimeReports, a company specializing in law enforcement tip management software and web applications, to offer the system.

“I have been a law enforcement officer for over 25 years and this is by far the most innovative, progressive tool I have seen in my career,” Clovis Police Chief Steve Sanders said in a news release.

“There is no doubt this program will dramatically help increase our crime solving capabilities,” Sanders said.

TipSoft gives tipsters anonymity by encrypting text messages and routing them through various secure servers. This process protects the tipster’s personal details.

The TipSoft short message service also allows police to respond to the informant’s cell phone by text message without knowing the person’s identity. Information provided by informants receives an alias and a unique ID before transmission, further securing the two-way dialog between citizen and police.

The TipSoft website allows users to pinpoint the scene of the crime, provide details and upload pictures. Conversations between tipsters and police are not recorded. Information is received by a Curry County Crime Stoppers coordinator and passed on to the investigating law enforcement officer.

“The popularity of text messaging has created a significant opportunity for the public to partner with law enforcement agencies to fight crime,” said Sanders.

“The ability for any citizen who owns a mobile phone to assist in crime solving is of great importance to communities globally and we are excited to play such a pivotal role in the transmission of these crime fighting tips.”

Sanders said his department hopes to have a crime mapping program in operation on the Clovis Police Department website Monday. The map will enable citizens to view exactly where crimes that were reported occurred.

According to local law enforcement, TipSoft should not be used for emergencies or crimes in progress. For more information, visit TipSoft.com or CrimeReports.com