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Chaska cops seek tips via text

Richard Sennott, Star Tribune

Chaska sophomore Frank Zellner texted during a lunch break. Following a trend in colleges across the United States, Chaska police hope that a new text message alert system about to launch in Chaska schools will encourage students to send in crime-related tips. To send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota from a cell phone, text TIP674 to CRIMES (274637).

Chaska police unveil a new way to relay information, whether a student's safety is at risk or a cafeteria food fight is planned.

By AIMÉE BLANCHETTE, Star Tribune

Last update: February 18, 2009 - 12:05 AM

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Crime Stoppers of Minnesota was at risk of folding in 2007, but has since rebounded and is looking to expand its services -- including its new text message capabilities -- to schools, said board chair Nicholas Luciano. "Since we launched our web tips, I've gotten three times as many tips as I have calls on the phone," Luciano said. "I'm excited to see what happens when people figure out how to text us."To send a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers Minnesota from a cell phone, text TIP674 to CRIMES (274637).

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Students at Chaska High School soon will be able to use 21st century technology to report criminal activity. The Chaska Police Department is enhancing its student tip line to allow students to send anonymous text messages to authorities.

School and police officials hope the system will encourage more students to report crime. Considering cell phone habits among teens, they say adding the feature just makes sense.

"You'll be hard-pressed to find a student at any high school who isn't fluent in sending text messages -- it's their world," said Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight. "The current tip line is under-used. We need to harness the technology evolution so we're making sure we're in contact and in communication with our kids."

Students will be encouraged to tip off authorities when they see or hear about such issues as drugs, weapons or classmates' safety concerns. But seemingly innocuous tips, such as a planned cafeteria food fight, are also important, Knight said.

The text feature is in the testing phase and will be ready to roll out soon. The student council will decide on a telephone number, or "short code," which students would use to text police, and it will be asked to help promote the new feature. Although the service is targeted to Chaska High students, anyone in the community would be able to use it.

The text feature is a good idea, said Chaska seniors Jennifer Riskey and Kelsey Evans, who said they didn't even know a police tip line existed for students. "Kids text a lot more than they call," Riskey said.

Teens 13 to 17 send and receive an average of 1,742 text messages per month, according to Nielsen research. Teens surveyed in the same time period took part in an average of 231 mobile phone calls per month.

Depending on the situation, Evans said she and her classmates are likely to hear about incidents in the school before administrators or police do.

Many schools, including Chaska, have loosened the reins on cell phone use and allow students to use the phones between classes, before and after school, and during lunch.

A second phase of the text alert system will allow Chaska police to send a mass text broadcast to subscribers to relay advisories and warnings -- a handy vehicle to dispel disturbing rumors. The text alert service is not meant to take the place of 911 when an emergency arises.

Many technological details remain to be worked out, but Knight said the text messages will be anonymous.

Other text-alert services used by St. Paul-based Citizen Observer and Crime Stoppers of Minnesota leave no traceable numbers. Texted tips go through an encrypting application that hides the sender's identity. Police still are able to respond to ask for such info as, "What's the location?"

The Chaska student tip line is likely to operate the same way, but under extreme situations, Knight said police could file a subpoena to go through the sender's wireless carrier to find out who sent a message.

Citizen Observer is getting ready to launch its TIP 411 text alert system to law enforcement agencies, colleges and secondary schools nationwide. Schools started to see their local police departments using text alerts and wanted a similar way to handle anonymous tips from students, said Dan Zell, national program manager for Citizen Observer. "That ball is rolling now."

A few high schools around the country have implemented text tip lines, but the Chaska line apparently would be the first in Minnesota.

Aimée Blanchette • 612-673-1715

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