By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Voorhees Sun
An anonymous tip line in the township received rave reviews from Mayor Michael Mignogna, as he trumpeted the line as one of the better installations for the police department in 2009.
Mignogna said the department created the line in conjunction with the township in a continuing effort to increase public safety. The “Voorhees Township Police Anonymous Crime Tip Line,” allows a resident to anonymously report crimes or divulge information to the police department without revealing their identity.
The “See it, Hear it, Report it,” line doesn’t require the caller to leave a name. However, if the caller wishes to speak with an officer they can leave a call back number and still anonymously speak with a department representative.
“In a continuing effort to keep our community safe, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Voorhees Township Police Department initiated a program to increase the amount of information and intelligence received through anonymous tips,” he said. “Such tips can be instrumental in providing leads and solving crimes that may otherwise remain unsolved.”
Many residents often have information the police department can use when investigation ongoing cases in Voorhees, Mignogna said, but may be wary of divulging information for fear of retaliation from those involved in criminal activity.
Residents can call 627–7174 to anonymously report any incidents or information 24 hours a day. The department even has an e-mail address for anonymous tips at policetipline@vtpd.com.
“The promise of anonymity should encourage involvement. Several criminal investigations have already been solved through the help of such anonymous tips,” Mignogna said.
In order to reach out to the younger residents of Voorhees, the police department has also created several business cards with information about the anonymous line. The cards were recently passed out to students at the Eastern Regional High School.
With the anonymous tip line, the township also devised another program to increase communication between residents and the police department. The township became the first municipality on the east coast to sign up for Nixle, a program that automatically sends out updates to registered citizens of Voorhees. The police department uses the program to make residents aware of public safety alerts and crime in certain areas of the township.
The township signed up for the nationwide service this past April, Working much like Facebook or Twitter, Nixle allows residents to receive up-to-the-minute information where one lives, works or visits. Registered residents receive real-time information from the township via the Nixle system. Residents may also choose their desired level of information ranging from urgent public safety alerts to local traffic updates and community events.
In a previous interview, Sergeant Brian Randazzo reported the department uses the service to alert its followers of up to date traffic events, upcoming road closures, and other pieces of the public safety information.
“Personally, I’ve used it for crime prevention tips and updates for our followers,” he said. “Say, for example, if we have a rough weekend and a lot of our residents’ cars have been broken into, I try to put something out on Nixle to update our followers.”
