Crime Stoppers USA joined Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Monday to announce that Florida’s statewide crime reporting tip line will be used nationwide.
Moody launched **TIPS in October of 2020 to bring uniformity and ease to anonymous crime reporting—an effort to better engage the community in solving crime.
Now, anyone from anywhere in the country can report crime tips anonymously by dialing **TIPS (8477). When dialing **TIPS from any cellphone in the United States, the caller will automatically be routed to the Crime Stoppers office in the region where the call is generated.
“As attorney general, I am always looking for ways to better protect Floridians and engage citizens to help enhance public safety. The fact that the national Crime Stoppers program is adopting our statewide initiative is just another example of how Florida leads the nation in common-sense, innovative approaches to fighting crime. We all play a role in the success of our state and nation. Our tool, **TIPS, will now allow communities across the country to assist law enforcement in fighting back against crime,” Moody said.
Crime Stoppers USA Executive Project Director Barb Bergin said, “The opportunity to have **TIPS available across the United States gives all citizens quick and easy access to local Crime Stoppers. Anonymous tips help law enforcement solve and prevent crimes 24 hours a day in our country, with **TIPS the process will now be easier for all.”
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said, “We are proud of our partnership with Crime Stoppers and our local office, CrimeLine. With the debut of the new national **TIPS number, criminal justice organizations have the opportunity to gain additional anonymous tips like never before. We know how beneficial these tips are to building and solving cases and providing information to our agencies. This is simply another tool that we have to keep our communities safer.”
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said, “We rely on members of the public to be our eyes and ears in their communities. We continue to see crime decrease in Orange County, and we cannot do that ourselves – we need everyone to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities or knowledge of crime.”
Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón said, “Crimestoppers USA undoubtedly provides the additional support for law enforcement that we need to bring justice for families and to keep our communities safe.”
In October 2020, Moody and the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers announced the first-of-its-kind, statewide tip line. Before, any Floridian who wanted to give an anonymous report would have to research which of the 27 Florida Crime Stoppers regions they were in, and then dial a separate number.
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