By Erik Stetson, The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Police have unveiled a revamped Web site designed to show the public pictures of criminals caught in the act, then asks for tips.
“New Hampshire’s Most Wanted” is similar to sites based in Massachusetts and Maine. New Hampshire is being added to a growing online network that soon could encompass all of New England and, eventually, the nation, said Doug Bates, a state representative for Crime Stoppers Inc.
Site visitors can see photos, composite sketches and surveillance camera images, then click on them to view more information about the cases. The site also lets site visitors send tips to police officers working to solve the crimes.
New Hampshire previously relied on Massachusetts’ Most Wanted web site, then opted to start its own. After about two years, authorities decided to blend it into other state “Most Wanted” sites, said Portsmouth Police Department Detective Tim West, the New Hampshire site’s manager.
The New Hampshire Bankers Association contributed about $5,000 for the redesign. Association President Jerry Little said about half the crimes captured on surveillance footage in Massachusetts occurred in a bank, though not all were robberies. Images posted online can come from several sources, including surveillance cameras at other businesses or photos taken by witnesses.
Little said while bank robberies were a growing problem, surveillance footage in banks also often helped capture other criminals, including identity thieves.
“They go into a a bank to get a cash advance on a credit card,” he said. “And bang, we’ve got their picture.”
The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police endorsed the site. Officials said criminals often travel to commit crimes, and predicted that an online most-wanted network can help police departments catch criminals across state borders or across the country.
“A crime that’s in New Hampshire today can easily be in Maine the next day, or Massachusetts,” West said.
Chief Stephen Savage, New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police president, said solving such crimes often previously depended on individual relationships between law-enforcement officials.
The site, contrary to its name, isn’t limited to highlighting a select few cases.
West said authorities will use it to cover all “the cases we need help solving.”