Pubdate: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ) Copyright: 2003 East Valley Tribune. Contact: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2708 Author: Bryon Wells, Tribune INTERNET TIPS PROBED TO REDUCE DRUG TRAFFIC Tempe police have developed an Internet program that allows residents to be "esnitches" when it comes to narcotics activity in their community. Tempe police narcotics Sgt. Bruce Girnt said that police were already receiving between 35 and 75 calls per month from people filing complaints about drug sales or use in their neighborhoods. The complaints would then be referred to an investigator in a process that "ate up a lot of time," Girnt said. To save time and keep phone lines open for priority calls, police created a Web site late last year that takes the information electronically instead of using a telephone operator, Girnt said. So far, the complaint form has proved to be a helpful aid to the overall investigative process, Girnt said. "It's like a quilt, you need every thread before you get a quilt," he said. "It's like an intelligence database as well as an investigative database." The "narcotics activity report," accessed at www.tempe.gov/police/ narcoticform.htm on the Internet, allows the public to report the type of drug activity, such as heavy traffic through a specific neighborhood, and whether it's regarding cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine or heroin. Residents can also report whether they've seen people use drugs, or cultivate or sell them. Police do not take the information posted on the Web site as gospel, Girnt said, adding that the tips are followed up by officers until they can determine if there's a case. In the event somebody gets mad at their neighbor and reports they're cooking methamphetamine, "that doesn't mean the next day we=92re going to kick down the door," Girnt said. "We look at the totality of it, not just the initial complaint," he said. Web site users can remain anonymous, but one thing the Web site does allow people to do -- if they're game enough =97 is to volunteer to become directly involved in a narcotics investigation and even introduce an undercover officer to suspected drug dealers, Girnt said. "Some people are willing to do it," Girnt said. "They take a vested interest in their neighborhood." Residents can also continue using the Tempe Police Department's telephone line for crimes occurring in the city by following the recorded directions at (480) 350-####. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek