Alabama agency turns to text tip line in wake of fatal school shooting
The department spent $9.75 to purchase two pieces of software: one that turns a text into an e-mail and sends it to an e-mail address, and another that automatically confirms receipt. Monk said the department chose this method, because it wanted an inexpensive solution that could be deployed quickly.
“We’re just using what we already had. So far, we haven’t bought anything, except for two pieces of software from the Blackberry store,” Monk said. “You can do this with something else. We’ve played around with the idea of Google voice and Google mail. You can do it with an iPhone, whatever. This is just what we had.”
Once the text becomes an e-mail, it is sent simultaneously to the dispatch center, the police command staff and SROs. The dispatcher, who is the only recipient with the ability to respond to the text, then coordinates the proper response.
On average, about five or six text messages are received every week, but when there is an incident, that usually increases quickly to several dozen texts. The system can handle photos and videos, but as of April, dispatch had only received one video through Text to Protect, according to Muncey. No additional staff was hired to handle the increased volume.
The program offers confidentiality but not anonymity, which Muncey says is important for success, because it allows the dispatcher—or later, the police—to ask follow-up questions, which discourages abuse. MPD decided to create its own solution, because many of the options available in the market granted users anonymity, he said.
With MPD managing the system, the texts are received immediately and unfiltered (tips sometimes are related to school staff).
The program was launched shortly after the shooting four years ago, and Muncey said it is now part of the school culture in Madison. Elementary students are given Text-to-Protect wristbands, and older students are instructed to save the program’s phone number into their cellular devices on the first day of school. Previously, the school district had a telephone tip line that no one used, Muncey said.