'If somebody hears Johnny is going to bring a gun to school, hopefully they'll text that in,' said Sgt. Brian Bernardi of the Louisville, Metro Police Department, which rolled out its text-message tip line in June.
Departments in Boston and Cincinnati started accepting anonymous text tips about a year ago. Since then, more than 100 communities have taken similar steps or plan to do so. The Internet-based systems route messages through a server that encrypts cellphone numbers before they get to police, making tips virtually impossible to track."