I'm Warning You, I Have a Smartphone and I Am Not Afraid to Use It, Part Deux
I'm reading Super Crunchers, and one of the cases quoted therein is that when you install a lojack in your car, you are benefiting me, even though I haven't installed one. Because the car thieves don't know which cars are 'jacked and which are not, the presence of a certain percentage of cars in the market drives down the overall car theft metric ("the marginal social benefit of the additional unit of Lojack has been fifteen times greater that the marginal social cost in high crime areas" Ayres says in his paper).
Interesting.
How much will crime fall when all of us begin to use our cellphones to anonymously report crime? Here's how:
Text-a-Tip is nationwide computer program. You text the tip, your phone number is anonymized.
1. In the Puget sound area type in CRIMES (274637)
... yes, it is a 6 digit number
2. NEXT: Type in Message: TIP486...( and then continue with your message)
(Example: TIP486 Group of males in a fight at corner of Š.Jackson St)
3. SEND
When the text message is received, you receive a pin number, confirming receipt.
In Seattle you can also submit a crime tip anonymously by calling the tipline at 206-343-2020.