New Lumberton police tip app allows anonymous 2-way communication with officers

LUMBERTON, N.C. (WBTW) — The Lumberton Police Department has a new tool in its crime-fighting arsenal.

A new smartphone app, developed by tip411, will help people find information, view alerts and submit anonymous tips, the department said. The Lumberton PD app is available via the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store, or on the department’s website.

“Our goal is to provide the highest quality of law enforcement service through a departmental philosophy of community-oriented problem-solving policing,” Police Chief Michael McNeill said in a Facebook post. “By working together, we can partner with our community to make Lumberton a safer place for all, and I believe our new tip411 system will play an important part on that effort.”

The new app allows people to share tips with the department and lets officers respond and create an anonymous two-way conversation. The technology removes all identifying information before police see the tips, and there is no way to identify the sender, the department said.

“We’re continuously working to build more advanced and innovative products to help departments better engage their communities,” tip411 President Terry Halsch said. “The Lumberton PD app, powered by tip411, will greatly improve the public’s access to agency alerts, social media channels, important information, and more to help fight crime.”

Anyone with a smartphone can share information or text a tip to the police department by texting keyword LUMBERTONPD and their message/tip to 847411 (tip411). Anonymous tips can also be submitted via an online form on the department’s website.