MCCOMB, Miss. (WJTV) – McComb police unveiled a new crime fighting tool, and the most important weapon in this tool box involves the community.
With more than 12,000 people calling McComb home, the police department wants to make sure its citizens are safe, especially from violent crime.
“We don’t have carjackings, hardly. So, knock on wood, but things like that, that you would usually see in a city that, deals with violent crime the way we do. So, it’s, it’s interesting on one one end, but I’m thankful that we don’t have those type of crimes, as well. We know what the violent crime is. The shootings, the shootings, murders, things of that nature,” said McComb Police Chief Juan Cloy.
He said it takes community policing to keep people safe. That’s why the department has launched a new app, hoping neighbors will be the eyes and ears for the police.
“Extremely important because again, the citizens mentioned that they did not want to give their their names, right, their personal information, but they they have information, and they know what’s going on. And we need all the eyes and ears out that we can get in the community,” said Cloy.
The app is called the McComb MS PD App, and it was developed by Tip411. It allows citizens to give anonymous tips on their smart phone directly to police. They can also find information and view alerts. If you don’t want to download the app or don’t have a smart phone, you can text an anonymous tip and type in your message. Investigators monitor the tips as they come in.
The app has been up and running for about a week, and some McComb community members said they like the idea of a crime fighting app.
“I think it’s an awesome tool for tech savvy people,” said Darlene Jackson, who lives in McComb.
“Because I have seen an influx of, homeless people coming through. you know, of course, people here, we don’t know. So hopefully, you know, with that being said, of course, we don’t always get to solve the crime, but hopefully with these new app, you know, the people that are scared to go to the police, maybe they can use it to speak up,” said Kiara Harris, who also lives in McComb.
The police chief said they won’t know how many people actually have the app, but he hopes the public gets it and uses it to help them fight crime.
The app is 100% anonymous. The technology removes all identifying information before police see the tips.