Fargo Police Launches App That Allows People To Send Tips & Receive Alerts

Tip411 is free on Apple and Google devices. 

FARGO, N.D.- Fargo Police was looking for ways to improve the way they receive information and get it more quickly.

Before, they used a phone number that someone in the department monitored for call and text tips.

“Tip411 is a new mobile application, not only a mobile application, but a new way for citizens, people in our community to submit information to us. Whether it’s about narcotics activities, prostitution activities, activity or information about active cases such as people of interest.”

They say it’s important for them to be able to reach the community and for the community to be able to reach them.

“To make it easy. So, we want to open those lines of communication. Let people know that hey, it takes a village, so we do our best when the community is helping us out, when they’re providing us information.”

The department shared the information of the new app on their Facebook page and there was mixed reaction from the community.

Some people were all for the app, but others showed concern.

Matthew Dylan believes the app will allow people to report every little thing they see.

He claims dispatch will be inundated with an unnecessary workload.

Dylan also shared privacy concerns.

Fargo Police says they will have no access to that data unless you share it.

“When you download the application and you put information to it, it does not identify you and then sends it to our platform. So, you don’t come up as a certain person. We don’t know who you are unless you actually provide that information to us. It will assign you a unique ID so that way that detective who does get that can have that two way conversation with you to maybe get more information on that tip.”

Community members without access to the app can send anonymous tips  by sending a text using the keyword FARGOPD to 847411.