Burlington, Vermont - February 21, 2011
"Texting is a functional piece of the communication puzzle for us," UVM Police Capt. Tim Bilodeau said.
Which is why UVM Police are asking students to text them their crime tips.
"Texting is a very common part of our current culture," Bilodeau said. "So when we're looking for that information from those folks, we're just looking for anything to do with public safety."
Students say it makes them feel at ease to know the police are only a few cell phone key strokes away.
"It's definitely reassuring," student Alex Beattie said. "To know you have a safe alternative."
"It would probably be more of an instant message to police and they would probably get it a lot faster than a phone call," student Cody Tetreault said.
Police say texting them is simple. All you have to do is text your tip to 847411 and include the keyword "UVM" in your message.
UVM police have been able to receive text tips since December, and if officers have questions about a text tip they can text or call back the tipster, who then in turn, can choose whether to respond.
"Campus can be kind of sketchy sometimes. With that groper, you know, I heard about him," Beattie said.
With the number of students that say they prefer texting over calling, police say this new initiative can be helpful in combating all types of on-campus crime.
"Drug sales or property theft, sometimes folks will use it to report that they had something stolen from them," Bilodeau said.
Police say you can also leave an anonymous tip, by visiting the UVM police website and using the tip411 form.
To contact UVM Police:
- Text your tip to 847411 (tip411) and include the keyword UVM in your message.
- www.uvm.edu/police/- Fill out tip411 form
- EMERGENCY: Call 911
Melinda Davenport - WCAX News
