The Chapel Hill Police Department should be applauded for its new email tip line. The email tip line was recently introduced in order to help the department gather more information on their ongoing investigation into the murder of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth in September.
The email tip line is being used in conjunction with the standard phone tip line. This is the first case in which Chapel Hill Police have solicited information through email.
The idea for an email tip line preceded the Hedgepeth investigation. Chapel Hill Police thought such a system would encourage greater involvement from the public.
This makes sense. Opening an email account allows people who don’t always feel comfortable talking to somebody to contribute information by other means.
People may be discouraged to call a tip line if they don’t feel comfortable answering follow-up questions. Writing something can often be less emotionally trying than speaking it aloud to another person.
The department has received some information through the new email line, said Sgt. Josh Mecimore, while also receiving good feedback from Chapel Hill residents about the initiative.
Promoting the email tip line could expedite the Hedgepeth investigation and help the police ensure justice.
But there’s no reason to limit this sort of tip line to the Hedgepeth case. The Chapel Hill Police Department should continue to keep the email account open for tips on other criminal cases.
It can be difficult to come forward and give information about criminal cases.
