Anonymous Tip Line?

We travelers see a lot of things, some good, and some… not so good. I am the type of traveler that hones in more on the local atmosphere of our trip, more then concentrating on the tourist attraction or amusement. Going to DisneyWorld is not my thing… walking through Central Park and soaking in the local flavor is more enjoyable. When you travel, what do you notice? I’m thinking about these things because I recently read a press release by a mobile marketing company, SJA Mobile:

SJA Mobile & FBI Launch SMS Tipline
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SJA Mobile today jointly announced with the FBI’s Washington D.C Field Office and Metropolitan Police an initiative which will enable D.C-area citizens to anonymously report crime tips via a novel new medium – SMS. SMS, or “text messaging,” has up until now never been used before as a medium for crime tips.

Citizens in the D.C area can report a crime or homeland security tip by sending a text message with the tip to the number 50411. The 5-digit number to text to is called a “Short Code.” Currently the service is available on all major wireless carriers, along with several Tier 2 carriers.
SJA Mobile is in talks expand the service to several other major cities.

I’ve never liked anonymous tip lines, honestly. They are too prone to be abused, and the U.S. Constitution guarantees that we have the right to face our accuser. The Sixth Amendment:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

I am 100% in favor of being able to report crimes, however! I’ve been to cities where it’s quite obvious that drug trafficking and other sordid crimes were taking place. I believe there would be fewer crimes if more people spoke up. Then again, and unfortunately, some crimes are so horrible that it can be life-threatening to make oneself known to a criminal. There is a fine line.

I am amazed at the leaps in technology, however. SJA Mobile is enabling a direct line– an anonymous line– via text messaging! If that isn’t astounding, I don’t know what is. In any case, it is amazing at how technology has completely changed the way we travel and interact.