Yale Police Department Chief Ronnell Higgins tweeted Wednesday to introduce YaleTip, a new anonymous mobile text tipoff system.
The new service — available by texting yaletip and a message to the YPD to 67283 — processes messages through a third-party, thereby protecting the identity of tipsters, YPD Assistant Chief Steven Woznyk explained in a Wednesday email to the News. With the new system, open to all members of the Yale and New Haven community, the YPD hopes to get more information to assist in its investigations of dangerous or criminal activity. With services where one can receive sms, one could get the things they want to convey easily.
“These types of technological advances assist law enforcement agencies as well as make it easier for community members to provide information to police that may assist in various investigations,” Woznyk said. “Like Bulldog Mobile, we wanted to keep up with various technological advances to better serve the community.”
If the YPD requires more information, all correspondence is routed through the third-party vendor to protect informants’ identities.