https://linebet-bangladesh.com/en/mobile

Howell police tip program produces leads

Date:

Share post:

By Charles Daye
Staff Writer

HOWELL – An anonymous tip program recently launched by the Howell Police Department has “definitely” helped with narcotics investigations and has led to arrests, according to Detective Sgt. Christian Antunez.

- Advertisement -

Antunez attributed the program’s initial success to a positive relationship between Howell residents and their police force. He said police officers regularly interact with members of the public through community events, charitable work, in schools and via social media.

The police department’s Facebook page has been “liked” by more than 11,000 people.

“We have always had a very good relationship with the public,” Antunez said in a June 1 interview. “In anything we do, we always have a good showing, we always have good support, so we knew it would be no different with this tip program. As soon as we put it out to the community, the tips started flooding in.”

The program operates exclusively through the website P3Tips.com. No phone call is required to be made to police. When an individual visits the website to submit a tip, he or she will be asked to select a country, a state and a town, and then to type in a tip for police.

Howell detectives will view and assess the tips that are received and direct them to the appropriate division in the police department, Antunez said. The person who provides the tip does not have to provide any personal information.
Antunez said it is very important for members of the public to understand that because a tip that is submitted via the website may not be immediately viewed by detectives, the tip program is not designed for people to report crimes in progress or emergencies. He stressed that P3Tips.com is not a dispatch service for police officers.
Individuals who provide a tip will receive a code which will allow them to log back in and to communicate anonymously with police over a secure server.

The opioid epidemic played a direct role in getting the program implemented, according to Antunez.

He said he believes the genesis of the tip program dates back to 2014 when the Howell Municipal Alliance created a public service announcement with parents and students for local schools. People who were addicted to drugs, parents who had lost a child to drugs and law enforcement personnel appeared in the announcement.

“The catalyst was the opioid problem and (we wanted) to try to rein in the drug use and drug dealing that is going on, to give people a comfortable way of reporting it without feeling like there would be retaliation,” Antunez said.
While drug use and drug dealing may have been the issue that launched Howell’s tip program, police have also received tips about possible instances of child endangerment, missing persons and suspects who are wanted for crimes in other states.
At present, Howell is the only town in New Jersey using P3Tips.com. Police said if a tip is received that involves another municipality, it will be forwarded to the appropriate authority.

Stay Connected

213FansLike
89FollowersFollow

Current Issue

Latest News

Related articles

Princeton Council purchases Lanwin tract for open space preservation

Princeton officials have agreed to purchase the 90-acre Lanwin Development Corp. property on the Princeton Ridge for $9.1...

Petitioners takes issue with HiTOPS curriculum unit

A petition calling on school district officials to revise or remove the intersectionality unit in the Pathways to...

‘Something’s gotta give’

When it comes to the annual budget, Schools Superintendent Michael Volpe tends to be on the conservative side....

‘A true trailblazer of New Jersey’

The day finally came for Bordentown City to officially rename the Bordentown Post Office in honor of American...