SPRINGFIELD — The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office now allows people to share important public safety information anonymously with police by sending them a secure text message about crimes or suspicious activity.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office has launched tip411, an internet-based tool from Citizen Observer LLC that enables the public to text message an anonymous tip to police and lets the officers respond back creating an anonymous two-way conversation. 

Additionally, tip411 allows the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office to push out information to the public in a timely manner (road closures, traffic investigations, suspicious activity, etc.).

Used by more than 1,200 communities throughout the U.S., tip411 enables anyone with a cell phone to text anonymous tips to authorized personnel within an agency. These tips are received in real-time and can be responded to in seconds via an interface that allows for secure web and text-based conversations. 

The tip411 system is 100 percent anonymous, as its technology removes all identifying information before police see it and there is no way to identify the sender.

Anyone with a cell phone may send an anonymous tip by texting ECSO and their message/tip to 847411 (tip411). Tips can also be submitted by using the EffinghamCo Sheriff app, which is available for download for free via the Google Play Store, iTunes App Store.

Go to Sherriff’s Office website www.effinghamsheriff.org/526/Tip411 to download the app or submit an anonymous tip using a web-tip form.

Those with questions are asked to call Effingham County Sheriff’s Office at 912-754-8186.