Firm's anti-crime system may enlist cell phone users

Yet another article about SMS used by the Police, but from a business and technical approach.

Chicago-based CenterPost Comunications has developed a way to get crime alerts to thousands of people on the street, according to The Chicago Tribune.

"Cell phone users are on the verge of becoming the world's largest crime-fighting force.

A Chicago software firm is installing a system in Germany so cell phone users there can receive crime alerts--like Dick Tracy's Crimestoppers--from the local police looking for help in locating lost children or stolen cars.

The system from CenterPost takes advantage of the booming popularity of short text messaging in Europe. Eventually, the software could expand to include images of suspects, like an electronic wanted poster, or short video clips.

The city of Chicago has contracted a similar service - but to landline phones, enabling the city to make automated calls to wireline phones in selected locations with short messages.

The CenterPost system adopted by Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior takes a different approach. Instead of relying on a customer being in a fixed location, the software can alert users via text messaging, voice messaging or by fax, said Eric Messerschmidt, CenterPost's marketing vice president.

CenterPost, which specializes in sending automated messages from banks, airlines and other businesses to their customers, believes that law enforcement could be a huge new market".

emily | 5:36 PM | SMS used by the Police |
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