As technology advances so do the different ways crooks can carry out their crimes.
Crime Stoppers, area businesses, and investigators have teamed up to forge yet another new way to fight and solve crimes.
It’s the holiday season and while many people are out shopping for gifts and making plans to spend Christmas with their loved ones, there are others who are victims of crime or missing their loved ones due to criminal acts, but crime fighters are hoping some new kiosks will help them pick up new tips and information to help solve these cases. Jackson County Sheriff’s Dept. Sgt. Shane Bozeman said, “Everybody goes to Walmart so hopefully, they’ll come in and take notice to this, and possibly be able to help us with some of our cases, by being able to put in an anonymous tip and being able to collect some money off those anonymous tips if it helps lead to an arrest.”
Mississippi Power is plugged into these crime fighting kiosks, providing funding, and retail giant Walmart has provided the setting at several South Mississippi store locations. Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers Coordinator Lori Massey said, “Walmart has been an excellent community partner. When you have shoppers come and walk through Walmart, we’re hoping that they’ll look and they’ll see people who are wanted, people who are missing, so we can get some community information.”
This kiosk in Pascagoula is the second one to be set up in the state. The first one was set up in Biloxi, and later on Friday morning, another kiosk was set up in Gulfport. Although these kiosks are easily accessible, all tips remain anonymous. Sgt. Bozeman said, “We can’t solve cases without the public’s help. Many of our cases, people are scared to talk to us. This will help. They can put in the information they know anonymously, that may point us in the right direction to help us solve cases.”
From porch pirate crimes to bank robberies on display, anyone can help put alleged offenders behind bars right at the tips of their fingers. “They have the scan right here that you can put your phone right up to or we have our free app, or they can call our call center if they’re not able to do the app.”