NJ TRANSIT ANNOUNCES NEW SECURITY INITIATIVE

Customers can now report suspicious activity via text messaging

June 8, 2011
NJT-11-027

NEWARK, NJ — As part of the agency’s commitment to maintaining a heightened sense of vigilance across the transit system, NJ TRANSIT Police Chief Christopher Trucillo today announced a new and convenient way for customers to report suspicious activity or unattended packages:  text messaging.

Through this initiative, called “Text Tips” or “Text Against Terror,” customers will be able to report suspicious activity, packages or vehicles around NJ TRANSIT facilities or onboard the system by sending a text message to NJTPD (65873).  Messages will go directly to the NJ TRANSIT Police Department.

“As the eyes and ears of the NJ TRANSIT system, our customers and employees are the first line of defense in the war against terror, so it is critical that we all remain vigilant and aware of our surroundings,” said Chief Trucillo.  “This new initiative enables us to harness the prevalence of text-messaging among our customers to enhance the security of our transit system.” 

Text Tips will complement NJ TRANSIT’s existing security hotline — 1-888-TIPS-NJT — which was established in 2003 to enable customers to call in reports of suspicious activity or unattended packages across the system.  All calls are investigated, and all information is confidential.  (To report a crime in progress or request immediate police or emergency assistance, customers should call 911 or the NJ TRANSIT Police Communications Center at 1-800-242-0236 or 973-378-6565.)

When reporting a tip, customers are encouraged to provide as much information as possible, such as the location of the suspicious activity or package, the nature of the activity, and a description of the person(s) involved.  After the text is received by NJ TRANSIT Police, customers may receive a follow-up text message to gather additional information. 

To make it even easier for customers to report suspicious activity while en route, NJ TRANSIT has also launched a special security page on the mobile version of njtransit.com, accessible from web-enabled mobile devices.

The Text Tips initiative is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, along with a supporting awareness campaign that includes radio and television ads, posters, panel cards and other tactics to get the word out to customers. 

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.