The Calgary Police Service (CPS) has paused its use of Crime Stoppers following a data breach involving the organization earlier this year. Navigate360, the third-party company that manages the platform used by Crime Stoppers, was hacked in March. After the breach, 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the last 25 years were reportedly exposed, according to CBC. Canada’s privacy watchdog has since launched an investigation into the breach. In a statement sent to CTV News on Thursday, CPS said it has decided to cease its use of Crime Stoppers for the time being. “CPS and Calgary Crime Stoppers have jointly decided to temporarily suspend our use of Crime Stoppers. “We are working together on an interim phone-based solution and intend to resume using Crime Stoppers once that process has been established.” Crime Stoppers operates independently of the CPS and manages its own information databases. “Crime Stoppers remains an important partner and a valuable source of information that has helped investigators advance cases and solve crimes,” CPS said. “We remain committed to preserving that option for the community and working with Calgary Crime Stoppers toward a secure way forward.” Police say anyone who believes they are being threatened or intimidated, or has concerns for their safety as a result of this breach, should contact police in their jurisdiction.
