US Police use text messaging to catch fugitive

Link: InternetWeek | News | Text Messaging Helps Nab Fugitive

When law enforcement officials realized they couldn’t communicate with their own radios as they closed in on Ralph “Bucky” Phillips near the New York border with Pennsylvania, they requested 20 cell phones from Cellular One.

According to law enforcement, Phillips crisscrossed creeks attempting to escape police dogs, who were closing in on him while helicopters circled the skies above. Hundreds of police officers participated in the chase.

As it happens, Cellular One had recently upgraded its GSM/GPRS/EDGE network in recent months, which enabled law enforcement officers to remain in touch with each other. The phones’ text messaging capability was used extensively, said a spokesman for the mobile phone service provider.

Good good. Excellent to see the medium being used in different ways, although I’m surprised the officers didn’t have some sort of text messaging notification facility on their existing devices.

(Via Stephenson Strategies)