Cops adopt SMS tip lines to help fight crime, find out where the party is

Apparently, law enforcement is seriously stepping into the 21st century. According to a report, police dep artments in Boston, Cincinnati and over 100 other communities have begun using a text message tip-line in the hopes that cellphone-savvy youngsters will alert them if they see a crime being committed, or know of one ahead of time. "It's obvious that the future of communication is texting," said Boston Police Crime Stoppers commander (and techno-visionary) Michael Charbonnier, adding that the department's system as yielded, "Some great drug information, specific times, dates, names of suspects, locations, pickup times, [and] license plate numbers." The only roadblock? Getting cops to understand that OMG doesn't refer to a terrorist attack.

[RDaneel Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:28AM]

I've gotta say, I love that graphic. LOL

[puerrican85 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:58AM]

That pciture is pricely, it made my day. lol

[GalinMD Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:14AM]

I still have that phone!! (It's just my backup phone). The n00b in the pic didn't unfold the phone to use the full keyboard...I mean the is a post about texting.

[Boh Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:17AM]

People who text on Nokia's deserve to die anyway

[treacherous Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:39AM]

I agree. Hilarious, and it helped wake me up from my Pepsi sugar crash.

[DCTenor1 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 11:03AM]

Thanks for giving me a great laugh so early in the day. You rock Joshua!

[SubGenius Posted Jul 3rd 2008 11:49AM]

This program sounds like a great idea until they get the bill.

[Aguiluz Posted Jul 3rd 2008 12:01PM]

"OMG IM BEING KILLED"

This is one of the reasons I love engadget.

[UnixSystemsEngineer Posted Jul 3rd 2008 1:32PM]

comedy gold

[SchoolTech Posted Jul 3rd 2008 3:24PM]

Best. Graphic. Ever.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 5:13PM]

Love that phone... Was a freakin' tank, and I could type about as fast on it as I can on my keyboard here @ work. No MP3, 3G, web, 2MP camera, etc, tho. Still, haters can go die in a fire.

[tiuk Posted Jul 3rd 2008 4:56PM]

The graphic is the only reason I clicked comments, couldn't care less about the story. Good one, Engadget.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 5:27PM]

that graphic is priceless. want moar.

[looselycoupled Posted Jul 3rd 2008 8:41PM]

HAHA! I can stop laughing reading that! All my co-workers keep staring at me LOL

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 4th 2008 4:37PM]

How bout "OMG im hanging off a ledge. Sum1 just pushed me."

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 10th 2008 9:14AM]

haha, picture is the best XD XD!!

[CommentSystem Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:28AM]

lmao @ the picture

[Ryan Trevisol Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:54AM]

+1!

[OriginalJosh Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:26AM]

best engadget picture in a long time

[sandmanfvr Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:28AM]

Wow, this could be a really interesting thing to have going on. Every cell phone can text, and thus millions of eyes for the police.

[natels Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:33AM]

Every cell phone can also make calls too..

[sandmanfvr Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:38AM]

Yes, but you won't see somebody on the street pick up the phone and say "Hey, they are at the warehouse, the deal is going down tonight!" If they are heard, they are DEAD. People can program in a police number, name is something that nobody can tell it is police number, and text without drawing attention. This is all about making it easier for those to report things and not draw attention and get them hurt.

[sporkinum Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:47AM]

But not every cell phone has text service.

[DCTenor1 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 11:05AM]

maybe legally, but sure as hell not morally
we all know he did it

[DCTenor1 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 11:06AM]

DAMMIT, wrong thread.
Engadget, when oh when will you allow us to EDIT COMMENTS!!!

[mauirob Posted Jul 3rd 2008 1:21PM]

seems like any easy way for bad guys to bombard the police with fake texts though. make them go on wild goose chases.

[xCrunk Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:29AM]

LAPD, OJ is the killer.

[Warren Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:01AM]

Sorry. OJ is innocent.

[Boh Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:24AM]

Sorry, OJ was acquitted. That doesn't mean he is innocent, it means he was found not guilty.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:45AM]

Innocent until proven guilty, right?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 11:26AM]

OJ rocks a mean pair of Bruno Magli's!

[Boh Posted Jul 3rd 2008 12:33PM]

@Abuzar:

No, not guilty until proven liable after the civil trial.

[jashsayani Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:29AM]

Nest step: Text encryption softwares for mobile phones !

One coming for iPhone: www.jashsoft.com
In the iPhone Apps section

[bobsakamano Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:31AM]

yeah thats the best but saddest graphic of all time

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:34AM]

KID: I'm being killed
POLICE: Oh, that sucks. Where are you being killed?
KID: At home.
POLICE: Address?
(kid runs out of airtime)

That sucks

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:42AM]

oh, and they can't track your cellphone, of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_tracking

[Aguiluz Posted Jul 3rd 2008 12:02PM]

You guys don't know that dialing an emergency number is totally free?

But yeah, that scenario sucks.

[ricks913 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:37AM]

Funniest Engadget post ever

[Ellianth Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:53AM]

not so much the post as the graphic.

[zim2411 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:38AM]

My sister has been texting the police for years. I burst out laughing when she showed me a text from an officer a couple years back. (No not personal "omg wut r u doin" texts, actual police investigation related)

[poly Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:47AM]

You sister has a thing for Policemen then, or they have a thing for her!

[Warren Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:03AM]

Lets just say I was a cop... and I wanted to get in contact with ur sister...

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 4th 2008 3:11AM]

@Warren. Classic!!!

[blizz419 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:45AM]

god damn snitches gettin it easier and easier

[mrstef Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:48AM]

Amazing graphic, just made my day...

[mrstef Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:49AM]

Amazing graphic... Definitely just made my day, lol

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:53AM]

remember the story about the boy who cried wolf

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:54AM]

just wait till the cops get one like:"1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d" and spend 3 hours trying to figure it out, only to rush off to arrest the sender.

[blizz419 Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:02AM]

LMAO! Makes me want to buy a cheap ass prepayed phone just to do that, smash and toss it after lol

[LJKelley Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:07AM]

Oh, i read that quite fast "If you can read this you need to get laid". Even though I would never write like that. Thank I'll make sure to get laid again, last nite was hott