See a Crime? Text Sheriff at TIP411

OCEAN CITY — Things just got harder for drug dealers, thieves and other criminals operating in Cape May County.
Sheriff Gary Schaffer held a press conference at City Hall here on April 24 to unveil new technology that will allow anyone with a cell phone or computer to provide anonymous information to the Sheriffs Office through text messaging.
“I encourage our citizens to join me in fighting crime in Cape May County. I have set up a totally anonymous web tip page so you can actively help the Sheriff’s Office in fighting crime,” Schaffer said. “No greater enemy a criminal has than law enforcement and citizens working together.”
Schaffer demonstrated to the Herald how a tipster witnessing a crime could send a message to TIP411 (847411). The tipster should start their messages with CMCSO (for Cape May County Sheriff’s Office), he said.
The technology allows for real time, two-way chat between the tipster and sheriff’s officers, Schaffer said. Tipsters can also attach photos or videos to their text messages.
Tips can also be submitted online by going to www.cmcsheriff.net and clicking on Anonymous Web Tips.
How can the tipster remain anonymous?
“A third party company (Citizen Observer) removes the phone number, where it is encrypted and replaces it with an ID number that sends it on to our Sheriff Office,” Schaffer explained. “Even through court orders we will not be able to obtain the identity of the tipster because it does not exist.”
Schaffer said his office was the first in New Jersey to utilize this anonymous two-way texting technology.
“It only makes sense that law enforcement should use the technology available to their advantage,” Schaffer said.
“This new capability will help create safer communities — especially reaching out to the younger age demographic. When someone feels afraid to come forward, or simply feels that they don’t want to get involved, this can be a great way to pass information on without fear or retaliation. This new technology will help our citizens play an active role in keeping neighborhoods safer, and I hope to engage younger folks in the process, who I feel can be a great asset.”
Schaffer told the Herald that his office made the announcement in Ocean City because of an on-going investigation into the March 11, 2009 disappearance of a local 21-year-old local, John Weisbecker. Since the missing person is younger, someone who might know something about the case might also be young and more comfortable with texting a lead to police rather than calling a tip in.
“Police have exhausted every lead into the Weisbecker disappearance,” Schaffer said. “We are hoping with this texting technology which preserves anonymity, someone will come forward with new information.”
“This is a new approach for us. We have kids as young as 10 years old who know how to text. Ask most young people and young adults and they will tell you they text over 30 times per day and many over 10 different people a day. Texting plays a big role, I think, in pretty much everyone’s life right now. Even older generations are learning to text,” added Sheriff Schaffer.
Despite having just been launched, the new technology has already yielded two leads into possible criminal activity that the Sheriff’s Office has forwarded to local law enforcement agencies, Schaffer told the Herald.