Residents Can Now Report Tips To Police Anonymously

In an attempt to encourage township residents to report possible criminal activity they see and hear, Radnor police are trying something a little different: a new anonymous tip line.

As of Feb. 1, Radnor residents (and members of the general public) wishing to report suspicious or unusual activity to the Radnor Township Police Department could do so anonymously over the phone.

While the policy isn’t exactly brand-new—the anonymous tip line existed “many years ago,” according to Sgt. Andrew Block, before the police department moved to its current location—Radnor police felt that it was important to re-establish it so that township residents would have another way to communicate with them.

The new telephone tip line complements an already-established anonymous online form that locals can fill out if they prefer to reach police via email.

“It’s just another avenue for the general public to provide information to the police department if they don’t want to leave their phone number,” Block said.

He added that the police department hopes that this method will encourage more people to call in and report crimes that they have witnessed. So far he said the department has received five phone calls to the tip line, reporting things such as reckless driving.

Because they just started the new tip line, the police department does not have information yet about exactly how much it will increase crime reporting, but they will eventually be able to better measure the line’s benefits.

The anonymous tip line should be used only for non-emergencies; because the tip line goes right to voicemail, police may not get the message immediately, and they might not be able to respond quickly enough.

“If [callers] need a police response,” Block said, “or there’s a crime in progress,” they should “call 911 right away. They should not call the anonymous tip line; it’s not an emergency tip line.”

While 911 callers are also not required to provide any personal information, one advantage to the new anonymous tip line, according to the police department, is that callers do not have to speak to anyone, and their phone numbers are not recorded on a caller ID—so they truly remain anonymous.

Block also noted that callers need not be overly concerned with whether the activity they are reporting should be handled by Radnor police.

“We’ll get it to the appropriate divisions if it’s not directly related to criminal action,” he said.

In establishing its anonymous tip line, Radnor joins many other police departments who have already created similar lines for their local communities. Haverford and Tredyffrin townships, for example, both have anonymous lines for residents, and Haverford Township’s line even allows callers to create a secret codeword that can be used to anonymously collect potential rewards.

To leave an anonymous tip for the Radnor Township Police Department call 610-687-8851 or use an online form.