PARIS – After several months of use, the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office anonymous tip line is proving to be an effective aid in solving crimes.
Capt. James P. Miclon said crimes of armed robbery, child abuse, burglaries, thefts, illegal growing of marijuana and others have been cleared.
He said there has been one drawback – people are using the line to leave messages for deputies and other police departments and report a crime in progress.
“This isn’t the intent of the tip line,” Miclon said.
“We only want information left for ongoing investigations, or illegal activity that people want to report but remain anonymous.”
He said the tip line led to quick arrests in an armed robbery at the Big Apple Convenience Store in West Paris and an armed robbery/home invasion in Hiram.
Miclon said residents using the tip line to leave messages or report current crime are actually delaying action on events that might need immediate attention.
He said to report a crime that is an emergency, people should dial 911.
To report crimes that are not emergencies, to leave messages for officers, or make non-emergency inquiries, the public should call the Oxford County Regional Communications Center at 207-743-9554 or 1-800-733-1421 and press option one, according to Miclon.
“If response from a real person is needed, press option one,” Miclon said. “That gets you to the dispatchers. When people leave a message on the tip line, if there is no active investigation, it doesn’t automatically come in. There may be a couple of days before it’s answered.”
Miclon said he and Cpl. Matthew F. Baker are the only two from the Sheriff’s Office to check tip line messages.
“I would hate for anyone to get the impression that they are going to receive a telephone call back immediately, or that a dispatcher will assign the proper officer, or department right away, when the tip line mail box may only be checked once a day,” Miclon said.
“The major intention of this tip line is for citizens that would like to pass on anonymous information to help law enforcement in their daily work, and not feel like they are obligated to leave their name for fear of retribution,” he said.
jsmedley@sunjournal.com
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