Integration of Industry Leading Crime Mapping and Tip Management ToolsWill Fundamentally Change the Way the Public Connects with Law Enforcement
Salt Lake City – CrimeReports, creators of the National Crime Map,today announced the acquisition of TipSoft, the most widely adopted tip acquisition andintelligence management tool for law enforcement. The integration of TipSoft’s WebTips and SMS Text-a-Tip capabilities into CrimeReports.com will greatly increase the ability for citizens to collaborate with their law enforcement agencies.
“This is another big step in the continued evolution of transforming the connection between law enforcement agencies and the general public,” said Greg Whisenant, Founder and CEO of CrimeReports. “Independently, each of our agency partners is an industry leader, known for providing effective and affordable law enforcement tools and world class customer service. As a combined entity, CrimeReports can use best of breed technologies to offer the most comprehensive and cost effective set of tools in the industry. Together with CrimeReports, WebTips and Text-a-Tip functionality allow law enforcement agencies to engage the public in a conversation about crime information using social media, texting and other tools that they already use every day.”
TipSoft is a tip and intelligence management application used by Crime Stoppers Programs, Student Crime Prevention groups and law enforcement agencies throughout the world, including the NYPD, Chicago PD and LAPD. Hosted on secure servers and accessible by customers from any web connected computer, TipSoft provides for the seamless reception and management of information submitted via phone, the web or as an SMS text tip. Tips can be received and replied to with complete security and anonymity.
“Right from the start, both TipSoft and CrimeReports have shared a common mission, leveraging emerging technologies to meet the needs of law enforcement, and providing stellar customer service to support those tools,” said Kevin Anderson, owner of Anderson Software, makers of TipSoft. “We take great pride in knowing we create solutions that benefit not only our customers, but the public in general. We are excited about how these tools will add value to law enforcement and citizens alike within CrimeReports’ product.”
CrimeReports has enjoyed rapid growth since its inception in 2007, now serving roughly 1,500 law enforcement agencies across North America. In addition to the acquisition of TipSoft, CrimeReports recently announced the development of Neighborhood Central, a suite of tools designed to connect individuals, law enforcement agencies, community groups and businesses at a hyper-local level. The additional functionality will evolve CrimeReports.com, already a central point for accessing information such as official crime and sex offender data, into a community where citizens and their law enforcement agencies can engage in a true two-way conversation.
“Our goal is to help our customers move beyond the “crime map”, to create an unprecedented open dialogue between law enforcement and citizens,” said Scott Kinzie, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy for CrimeReports. “Allowing community members to submit tips about crime, right there on our crime map allows a two-way exchange of information that will have meaningful impact on community safety.”