How to Use a Cell Phone to Prevent Crime

Cell phones have hundreds of uses. They're handy for spoken or written communication, they're personal organizers and alarm clocks, and they even make a great flashlight in a pinch. Cell phones also have crime-fighting applications. Using your phone to protect the public safety--or your own--is a matter of common sense and ingenuity.

Instructions

• 1

  Alert the police. If you see someone suspicious or witness an argument you suspect may turn into a fight, call the police. Some big-city police departments even allow crime tips via text message. This is simple, but its advantages are many. Unlike the old days, when you had to race to a public phone and try to remember what you saw, you can report suspicious activity while you're watching it.

• 2

  Sign up for text-message crime alerts. Police departments are becoming more sophisticated and intuitive in their use of technology. They know people communicate through cell phones, and some departments--especially college police departments--broadcast public-safety information via text message. This may help you identify a suspect, or take measures to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. For example, a text message from police about car burglaries in a specific neighborhood may lead you to take extra precautions.

  Amber alerts, which tell people about abducted children and their suspected kidnappers, also can be received via text message.

• 3

  When walking alone, have your phone in hand. Potential attackers may be reluctant to choose a victim with a direct pipeline to police.