Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office Encourages People to Use Tip Line to Report Flash Mobs

Residents can always call the to report suspicious activity. 

But the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office is asking citizens from Cleveland Heights and other communities to call this tip line — 216.515.TIPS (8477) — if they have information about flash mobs or crowds.

It is believed that large numbers of youth from all over the Cleveland area are using Twitter and other social media to organize meet-ups at the same place and time. Some of these “flash mobs,” (which historically haven't always had a negative connotation; the AT&T commercial is a perfect example) have resulted in confrontations with police, fights and caused city officials to rethink .

The tip line will connect callers to the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, established to improve communication about criminal and terrorist activities among cities nationwide. 

“The tip line has always been there, we just want to make people aware of it,” said John O’Brien, a spokesman with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office. He added that people can report any suspicious activity to this line. 

If your kid suddenly wants a ride somewhere, find out why and call, and if you see something on Twitter, call the line, he said.

If six people from six different places call six separate city police departments about the same flash mob event, for example, it takes more time to piece information together, he said.

“When they all call into the same place, the analysis is better and the intelligence is better,” he said. The fusion center will send out information to the specific police departments as well.

And it is clear that kids from several cities created the large gatherings that have marred recent community events like the and the Shaker Heights fireworks. The second street festival on Coventry Road, which was scheduled for July 24, . 

The sheriff's office will continue to local law enforcement officials to see what can be done about flash mobs, O'Brien said. 

"I think a lot of times when you get a lot of folks involved, they think it’s fun. They don’t think that there's a consequence. They get caught up in the excitement of it," he said, adding that aggravated rioting, the charge associated with flash mob activity, is a felony. "I think it’s a hot thing to do right now. There’s been a buzz created by it … As people realize the damage its doing to (neighborhoods and businesses), it will run its course."