Fulfilling a promise he made earlier this year, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that “callers to 911 and 311 are now able to send photos or video to assist in crime fighting and report quality of life complaints.” During a press conference Bloomberg was joined by city technology and other officials to explain how the system operates–and it doesn’t really involve the 911 system. First, callers dial 911 and verbally give the information that is routinely provided. If the caller indicates they have photos or video that would be useful, the calltaker enters a code “in the Police Department’s internal communications system,” which, in turn, alerts a detective of the photo/video availability. The detective in the “Real Time Crime Center” then calls the person, and provides an e-mail address to send the media. NYPD already accepts text messaging “911” calls to the number 274637 (CRIMES). Read the city’s press release here.
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