ST. CROIX — Crime Stoppers USVI held a brief press conference at the Virgin Islands Police Department’s building in Mars Hill. There, the nonprofit group announced that since its reorganization, it had taken steps to better serve the public, including a new website and and application (app), both of which offer new and easier ways for residents to provide tips.
That’s according to Laurie Dunton, Crime Stoppers’ chairperson. She said the nonprofit was set to relaunch its “Crime of the Week” initiative, first on the V.I.P.D.’s website and Facebook page on February 8, and on the organization’s own website on February 13. Media outlets willing to publish the information as a free service to the community will also be included.
The app, called P3 TIPS, is available for download on iOS, and Android devices, and asks users to put in their location, as the trusted service is used by Crime Stoppers organizations across U.S. and other anonymous tips services around the world. As for capabilities, the app affords users to send encrypted messages and images, however, it does not accept video. Users who travel often can also report crimes wherever they are by simply switching locations.
Ms. Dunton said the relationship between the V.I.P.D. and Crime Stoppers since the reestablishing of ties has been great. “I can’t say enough,” she said. “The memorandum of understanding has been adhered to by all parties in regards to submitting depositions on a timely fashion.” Ms. Dunton revealed that because of the renewed and vibrant collaboration, six homicide-related arrests were made in January, and over $5,000 in rewards had been awarded.
Also present at the press conference were liaisons Lt. Maria Jones and retired Detective Luis Encarnación, representing St. Thomas and St. Croix respectively. The liaisons spoke highly of the partnership and new strategies that encourage further fluidity between the V.IP.D. and Crime Stoppers.
For information, visit CrimeStoppers USVI’s website here.
Feature Image: From left to right: Luis Encarnación, Maria Jones and Laurie Dunton.
Image Credit: VIC.
Tags: crime stoppers, usvi
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