Detroit,
MI – The Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team (DFAT) has made its first arrest
using the new TIP411 system that it rolled out a few weeks ago. Shannon Gene
Ring, 46 years old, of Monroe, Michigan, was arrested by the Marshals led DFAT
earlier today. The arrest came as a direct result of a tip received via the new
texting tip service recently. Ring was wanted in Monroe County from 1989 for
Failure to Appear for a Probation Violation with the underlying charge being Manufacture
and Deliver a Controlled Substance (Marijuana). Ring was arrested in the 400
block of Antoinette in the City of Detroit without incident. He had only been
back in Michigan from California for a day when DFAT received the text tip. He
was transported to Monroe County Jail and will appear in court within the next
few days.
Under
the new texting tip system the Task Force is now able to receive anonymous tips
from the public via text message. Tipsters are now able to send a tip to the
Task Force by texting keyword “DFAT” and your tip to 847411 (tip411).The
technology is available from a company called Citizen Observer which
specializes in providing this service to law enforcement agencies. Their
service guarantees that the tipster and the tipster’s phone number remain
anonymous to the law enforcement agency unless the tipster chooses to identify
themselves.
The
U.S. Marshal led Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team has brought together some
of the best federal, state, and local fugitive hunters in the Eastern District
of Michigan. Coupled with this new technology, DFAT fugitive hunters will be
even more formidable.
U.S.
Marshal Robert M Grubbs stated, “This new tool provides the public with yet
another method of delivering valuable information to our Task Force to utilize
when pursuing these wanted fugitives. We are optimistic that this will lead to
many more arrests as our tip phone line has thus far.”
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1 comment:
This is absolutely a step in the right direction. I worked on the Crime Stoppers tips line for 13 years of my 21 year career with the Suffolk County Police Department. We received tips locally, state-wide, out-of-state, and even out of the country; and the information was meant for our agency, east-end agencies on LI, the US Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, the FBI, the NY Atty General's Medicaid Fraud Unit, Suffolk County Probation and NYS Parole.
It is vital to have an anonymous avenue available for the public to contact law enforcement, whether it's via a tip line, a web tip, or a text-tip.
Callers' motives are varied; from those wanting to do the right thing, improve their neighborhood, revenge on a rival drug dealer, a scorned woman ~ the list goes on.
I'm curious if the DFAT has a reward system in place, as Crime Stoppers does. There are many rules involved with Crime Stoppers, the non-profit civilian board of directors who work in conjunction with law enforcement agencies; the board determines the amount of reward to be given to each informant, and a system is in place for the callers to pick up their reward. Also, Crime Stoppers requires an arrest, while other agencies may require a conviction. It would mean the difference in an immediate payment of reward vs. waiting for conviction, which could take up to two years.
Thanks for letting us know about the existence of DFAT & their new TIP411 system. I hope it becomes a valuable resource to apprehend criminals who might continue to go undetected without the help of such callers.
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