Six months after creating a special Facebook phone tip line for followers to call regarding information on criminal matters, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office has developed an online version.
YPSO’s more-than-7,700 Facebook followers can now submit details on crimes in an online form found on YPSO’s Facebook page under the Contact Us section at the top of the page.
The form leads citizens to a Google doc, which asks users several questions, including if they are reporting a past crime or a crime in progress, if they are the victim of the crime, if they are responding to a Sheriff’s Office Facebook page and the specifics of the crime.
The form allows submitters to remain anonymous, just like the Facebook phone tip line.
The online form has already had success: a post on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page from Tuesday, one day after the launch of the online form, said a tip led to the arrest of two people wanted out of York County.
“We hope to continue the trend to keep our county a safe place to live and raise a family,” the post said.
The Facebook page, which launched in November 2011, posts daily content, such as wanted posters, news releases on arrests and emergencies, and information about countywide events.
The Facebook phone tip line, which can be reached at 757-890-4999, is used as a “lower priority” non-emergency number specifically for people calling about something they saw on Facebook, Lt. Dennis Ivey said.
The regional tip line 888-LOCK-U-UP, which is used on all of the Sheriff’s Office’s news releases, takes priority over other tip lines and should be used in emergencies and for crimes in progress.
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