Somerville takes a tech tip from Boston

During the late mayoral campaign, Floon made a big deal about how backwards Boston was because it didn't have a 311 system, just a Mayor's Hotline with a number nobody could remember.

But maybe Boston isn't quite so 1990s (set aside for a moment the fact that City Hall has no voice mail): In the next week or two, Somerville plans to emulate Boston's anonymous crime-tip texting service with something called Tip411. According to a city blog:

... This will allow residents to anonymously communicate with the SPD at a moment's notice to report crimes, safety issues, etc. via text message. ...

Somerville also plans to take a look at Boston's iPhone app, which lets iPhoners upload photos of potholes, trash and the like to the city.

H/t Stuart Goldman.