Inspector’s Gadget
The Washington, D.C. police department is now accepting crime-solving tips via text messages, along with many other municipalities across the nation. Any potential informant (a.k.a. “snitch”) can simply send the skinny to 50411 (“putting the 5-0 to the 411″ is slang for talking with the police) and the message is received by an officer. Numbers remain anonymous because the computer program routes and stores phone identification through servers in Canada, where privacy laws are strict. Boston police were the first to roll out the service in 2007 and in the past year they have received almost as many text tips as telephone tips, some of which have led to arrests. While text messaging is not preferable to telephone or in-person contact, D.C.’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier says, “It’s a really quick, cool, easy way to communicate, and if I don’t tap into those people, I’m shooting myself in the foot.” In that vein, those who are fond of text messaging will also be able to tap into the services of the police in a unique way:
