SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- (Marketwire) -- 01/23/13 -- PublicEngines™, a provider of cloud-based solutions that facilitate crime analysis, supply actionable intelligence and increase community engagement for law enforcement, schools, and governments, announced the launch of TipSoft™ for Education and its mobile application TipSubmit Mobile, which is already in use by more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies, and now allows students a confidential way to provide administrators with information regarding bullying, drugs, weapons, potential suicides, and other issues in schools. TipSoft provides communications options and allows administrators to easily manage incidents in a single cloud-based application.

Some 2.7 million students are bullied in the U.S. every year, with an astonishing 90% of fourth to eighth graders reporting being bullied. Half of all students say they've witnessed bullying, and over 70% say bullying is an ongoing problem. Overburdened and underfunded schools struggle with the emotional, physical and academic costs associated with bullying. The National Education Association estimates that 160,000 students miss school every day as a result of being bullied. In states where funding is directly tied to attendance the financial loss is significant; absenteeism in San Diego cost schools more than $600 million over a five year period.

TipSoft Saving Lives in Colorado Schools
"Colorado has taken a very proactive stance to improve the safety of students in our schools. As part of this effort Douglas County implemented TipSoft from PublicEngines, and we've received important tips about weapons, fights, and drugs. However, the biggest surprise from implementing TipSoft has been in Suicide Prevention. As of December 2012, we have been able to save 11 lives as a result of confidential information received through TipSoft. It's important that students can provide tips using their cell phone, and trust that the system will allow them to remain confidential. TipSoft will continue to be an invaluable tool for us in the future."

- Phyllis Harvey, Douglas County Y.E.S.S. Coordinator. A case study on Douglas County can be downloaded at http://www2.publicengines.com/Douglas-County-SS.

PublicEngines Quote
"Bullying has become an epidemic in the United States. Sadly, technology is adding to the problem. More than a quarter of all students say they have been 'cyber bullied' either online or via cell phone. However, technology can also be a game-changing asset in combating bullying. Our TipSoft for Education application allows students to confidentially report bullying in real time to teachers and other administrators."

- William Kilmer, PublicEngines CEO

TipSoft and TipSubmit Mobile are designed to be accessible the way teens prefer to communicate today. According to a survey by the Cyberbullying Research Center and i-Safe, more than 80 percent of teens use a cell phone. An average teen between the ages of 13-17 sends an average of 3,000 texts per month.

TipSoft for Education offers administrators and students key features including:

• Multiple ways for students to communicate through Web, email, SMS, and mobile phone apps for iOS and Android devices
• SMS and mobile tips are encrypted to ensure confidentiality
• Capability of attaching images and videos
• Sharing of tips with school administrators, who can communicate with local law enforcement
• Makes safe two-way conversations possible between students and educators
• An ability to report on a variety of safety issues such as:
  • Drugs
  • Violence
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Weapons

In addition, the optional TipSoft Alerts module also provides schools with an ability to send out updates through school Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, mobile phone text messaging, or email.

TipSoft for Education from PublicEngines provides access to a familiar, easy-to-use reporting tool that allows students to comfortably and confidentially play a role in combating bullying. The product is available for deployment immediately. For more information, please visit http://www.publicengines.com/products/tipsoft-for-education.php.

About PublicEngines
PublicEngines helps law enforcement, governments, and the public prevent, reduce, and solve crime with easy-to-use, cloud-based solutions that facilitate crime analysis, supply actionable intelligence and increase community engagement. PublicEngines' products include CrimeReports -- the #1 most popular online crime mapping solution available; CommandCentral -- a rich, intuitive, and affordable crime analytics and data visualization engine; and TipSoft -- the industry's most widely adopted anonymous crime tip submission and management platform. PublicEngine's products are used by more than 2,500 agencies and governments. Its website CrimeReports.com and CrimeReports mobile application are used by millions of individuals worldwide to find local crime information.

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