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GREENSBORO — The latest crime-fighting tool for local deputies is likely sitting in your pocket or purse this very moment.

It’s your cell phone.

Authorities hope that through a new program, they will be able to keep residents informed about crimes and trends, and provide easier access for submitting crime tips.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office recently joined CitizenObserver, a web-based program that allows the sheriff’s office to send out text and e-mail alerts to subscribers. [Sign up here]

Whether it’s a missing person, a bank robbery, scam alerts or burglary cases, the program lets deputies send out alert messages instant ly to residents based on their ZIP codes.

The program is free, other than standard text-messaging rates on your cell phone plan.

“Crime prevention is everyone’s business,” said Cpl. J.C. Fuller of the department’s community resource unit.

“This allows us to put information out to the community and let them assist us in being everywhere at every time.”

The sheriff’s office recently used the program to send out alerts about home burglaries near Church and Yanceyville streets and a series of copper wiring thefts affecting businesses in the southern part of the county.

“These citizens know who belongs in their neighborhoods and who doesn’t,” Fuller said. “We need to use their ability to help protect their investments, their lives and their property.”

This is the first phase of the program. Within the next two months, the sheriff’s office will add two anonymous tip lines called Tip411 to generate crime leads.

One line will be for the general public, where users can send a message to Tip411 that goes to a computer database at the sheriff’s office.

Based on the nature of the tip, it is forwarded to a specific unit at the sheriff’s office for a follow-up.

Fuller said the tip goes to the detective’s e-mail with a random code number assigned to it. The detective can then send a message back to that number, which acts as the tipster’s e-mail address to gather more information and allows the tipster to remain anonymous.

A second line will be launched for students, letting them text crime tips anonymously to school resource officers for the sheriff’s office.

“We are trying to reach out to the younger generation,” Fuller said. “This acts as a force multiplier by empowering our community to get involved.”

The sheriff’s office used $15,000 in drug forfeiture money to sign up for the program, which is being used by law enforcement agencies in 40 states. An $800 annual fee is required for software updates, which also will come from drug forfeiture funds.

The program is being used specifically in areas patrolled solely by the sheriff’s office. Tips for crimes in Greensboro and High Point will be forwarded to each city’s police department.

“I think our citizens are going to eat this up,” Fuller said. “This empowers people to help protect themselves.”

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com