Crime Tip Hotline & Being a Good Witness

Crime Tip Hotline

Public input and cooperation have always been important ingredients in keeping Simsbury a safe town.  The Police Department has a crime tip hot-line at 860-658-3143.  We hope the public will call the number and leave information concerning any recent crime or accident.  Although we understand the various motivations for leaving information anonymously, we prefer that the callers identify themselves and leave a contact number to allow follow-up interviews.  We know the importance of protecting information sources so we take every measure in protecting the privacy of cooperative witnesses.  The hotline is available 24 hours a day and features a recorded message with instructions for leaving information.

Being  good Witness

Being a good eyewitness does not come automatically and can be affected by many factors.  Most people don’t expect to be an eyewitness, so knowing how to observe in advance can be helpful.

Observing and witnessing is an active process.  Good observers continually ask themselves what it is that they are seeing.  If you are watching a suspicious vehicle, ask yourself how old it is, what make and style, what color, how many occupants, extent of body damage, type of bumper stickers or decals.  If you see the marker, how are you going to remember it?  If you are watching an individual ask yourself similar questions such as how old, what sex and race, height and weight, frame size, hair color, face shape, facial hair, eye color and shape, and clothing?  To estimate an individual’s height, compare it to a nearby stationary object.  Ask yourself if the individual looks like someone you know and then compare the two to bring out more detail.  By asking yourself these questions you are focusing your attention to detail and making yourself a better witness.

Observation is affected by factors such as the length of time you had to witness the event, distance from the event and lighting conditions.  Your attentiveness and perception are also very important.  Attentiveness measures your awareness of the incident and perception is your understanding of what it is you are witnessing.  Perception is affected by things such as intelligence, educational background, experience and occupation.  All of which provides your frame of reference.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you see something suspicious.  We have been notified about situations that turn out to be harmless, and we have been notified about subjects fleeing the scene of crimes.  We are available 24 hours a day and rely on your input.  Notify us if you do witness a crime or accident.  Even if you didn’t get a good look at the suspect or vehicle, partial observations are important in establishing time, location, and number of participants to an event.  Remember, if you see something that makes you uncomfortable or simply doesn’t look right, call us.

To contact the Simsbury Police Department:
Emergency - 911
Non-Emergency - 658-3100
Crime Tip Hot-Line - 658-3143