Broadcast time: 05:00, Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Crime Stoppers: 416−808−7254
On Wednesday, July 4, 2012, at 10:30 a.m., in the media gallery at headquarters, the Toronto Crime Stoppers Program will formally introduce its new crime fighting tool, a mobile app for smart phones.
Witnessing a crime can be a terrifying and traumatic experience, but what if you had the means to help the police by capturing and anonymously reporting an offence or an offender through your mobile device? Toronto Crime Stoppers, a non−profit organization that allows citizens to anonymously supply police with information on crimes, introduces a mobile application for anonymous tips.
The first of its kind in North America, the Toronto Crime Stoppers app includes interactive features that enable GTA residents to alert police in real time about a crime or potential crime through photos, video footage, emails, text, and a button that autodials Crime Stoppers’ 1−800−222−TIPS(8477) number.
“Crime Stoppers receives over 200 anonymous tips on a weekly basis, but the fact remains that many people who witness crimes are generally apprehensive about reporting misconduct for fear of being identified,” said Constable Martin Douglas, Toronto Crime Stoppers Youth and Social Media Officer. “With this app, we hope bystanders will feel more empowered to be socially responsible and take action.”
Toronto Crime Stoppers relies on tips from the public, so to help citizens identify an offence or offender, the new app includes a comprehensive database of some of city’s wanted criminals; social media updates and a GPS locator to nearby police stations.
Gary Grant, Chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers, says, “Whether it's schoolyard bullying, drug abuse or shootings, we need Toronto’s residents to step up and help keep our neighbourhoods safe with information on criminal misconduct. Ultimately we have a responsibility to look out for each other. The Crime Stoppers Program is operated by the community for the community.”
The Toronto Crime Stoppers app can be downloaded from Apple iTunes, Google Play and Blackberry App World™ (BB Torch 9800) and available on the BB Torch 9850 and BB Bold 9900 in the coming weeks.
About Crime Stoppers:
Crime Stoppers is a collaboration involving the police, community and the media, which began in Toronto in 1984, as a way to solve and prevent crime. Crime Stoppers provides citizens with a vehicle to anonymously supply the police with information about a crime or potential crime of which they have knowledge. Cash rewards of up to $2,000 are offered to people who call the program and their information leads to an arrest. In 2011, Toronto Crime Stoppers received approximately 9,500 communicated TIPS.
Constable Wendy Drummond, Corporate Communications, for Detective Darlene Ross, Crime Stoppers Coordinator
ID: 23912
Source
July 8, 2012:
Crime Stoppers: 416−808−7254
On Wednesday, July 4, 2012, at 10:30 a.m., in the media gallery at headquarters, the Toronto Crime Stoppers Program will formally introduce its new crime fighting tool, a mobile app for smart phones.
Witnessing a crime can be a terrifying and traumatic experience, but what if you had the means to help the police by capturing and anonymously reporting an offence or an offender through your mobile device? Toronto Crime Stoppers, a non−profit organization that allows citizens to anonymously supply police with information on crimes, introduces a mobile application for anonymous tips.
The first of its kind in North America, the Toronto Crime Stoppers app includes interactive features that enable GTA residents to alert police in real time about a crime or potential crime through photos, video footage, emails, text, and a button that autodials Crime Stoppers’ 1−800−222−TIPS(8477) number.
“Crime Stoppers receives over 200 anonymous tips on a weekly basis, but the fact remains that many people who witness crimes are generally apprehensive about reporting misconduct for fear of being identified,” said Constable Martin Douglas, Toronto Crime Stoppers Youth and Social Media Officer. “With this app, we hope bystanders will feel more empowered to be socially responsible and take action.”
Toronto Crime Stoppers relies on tips from the public, so to help citizens identify an offence or offender, the new app includes a comprehensive database of some of city’s wanted criminals; social media updates and a GPS locator to nearby police stations.
Gary Grant, Chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers, says, “Whether it's schoolyard bullying, drug abuse or shootings, we need Toronto’s residents to step up and help keep our neighbourhoods safe with information on criminal misconduct. Ultimately we have a responsibility to look out for each other. The Crime Stoppers Program is operated by the community for the community.”
The Toronto Crime Stoppers app can be downloaded from Apple iTunes, Google Play and Blackberry App World™ (BB Torch 9800) and available on the BB Torch 9850 and BB Bold 9900 in the coming weeks.
About Crime Stoppers:
Crime Stoppers is a collaboration involving the police, community and the media, which began in Toronto in 1984, as a way to solve and prevent crime. Crime Stoppers provides citizens with a vehicle to anonymously supply the police with information about a crime or potential crime of which they have knowledge. Cash rewards of up to $2,000 are offered to people who call the program and their information leads to an arrest. In 2011, Toronto Crime Stoppers received approximately 9,500 communicated TIPS.
Constable Wendy Drummond, Corporate Communications, for Detective Darlene Ross, Crime Stoppers Coordinator
ID: 23912
Source
July 8, 2012:
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 Eyewitnesses to wrongdoing can use their smartphones to capture criminal activity and report it to police anonymously.Mike Bagg, Det. Darlene Ross and Lorne Simon display the app
The new crimefighting application unveiled at police headquarters on July 4 has already been downloaded over 5,000 times.
The first of its kind in North America, the Toronto Crime Stoppers mobile application can be downloaded from Apple iTunes, Google Play and Blackberry App World (BB Torch 9800). It will be available on the Blackberry Torch 9850 and Blackberry Bold 9900 phones shortly.
The application includes interactive features that enable citizens to alert police, in real time, about a crime or potential crime through photos, video footage, e-mails, text as well as a button that autodials Crime Stoppers’ 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) number.
“This is the latest tool in the arsenal of crime prevention that Crime Stoppers offers to the citizens of Toronto,” said Crime Stoppers board member Mike Bagg at the launch. “It allows them to send us pictures and video immediately upon seeing a crime.”
Established 28 years ago, Crime Stoppers is a collaborative community-driven program that encourages and facilitates information to be supplied anonymously to police. Cash rewards of up to $2,000 are offered to tipsters whose information leads to an arrest.
Det. Darlene Ross, the Service’s coordinator for the Crime Stoppers program, assured citizens their anonymity will not be compromised. The application has been thoroughly tested.
“The application was built with security and privacy in mind,” she said. “It’s another tool for the community to use and something for them to be able to submit anonymously and get the information to the right people at the right time. History has shown that some people are a bit apprehensive about dealing with the police directly. They can still provide all the information that they have. This just allows them another means of ensuring that the information gets to the police.”
Ross said nearly 40% of tips the Crime Stoppers program receives are internet-based.
“This new application also allows a direct link to our social media feed and this is all going to be at the fingertips of anybody who has a smartphone and who takes the opportunity to download,” she added.
Const. Martin Douglas, the Toronto Crime Stoppers Youth & Social Media officer, said he hopes citizens will feel more empowered to be socially responsible and take action.
“Crime Stoppers receives over 200 anonymous tips on a weekly basis, but the fact remains that many people who witness crimes are generally apprehensive about reporting misconduct for fear of being identified,” said Douglas. “Hopefully that will change.”
Toronto-based custom mobile application developer Cellflare designed the software that provides users with a list of some the city’s most wanted with their names, known photos, birthdays and gender. Crime Stoppers receive approximately 10,000 tips annually.
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