Partnering to help build safer communities

Uber is a community of millions of riders and drivers all over the world. Helping keep that community and the cities we serve safe is a responsibility we don’t take lightly.  

As a former prosecutor, I know how difficult it can be for people to come forward and report possible crimes. That is why we are partnering with Crime Stoppers International in an effort to provide driver-partners with tools to report criminal activity while keeping their identity anonymous.

Like Uber, Crime Stoppers has global reach. Operating in 26 countries totaling approximately 800 certified Crime Stoppers programs, it is the world’s leading global authority on anonymous crime reporting. According to Crime Stoppers, more than 1 million criminals have been arrested as a direct result of information provided to affiliated Crime Stoppers chapters around the world.

This partnership is the result of Uber listening to the communities we serve. Uber has invested in a global team of former law enforcement professionals, response team specialists, and an online portal for law enforcement use only. These three components work together to inform, cooperate with, and respond to law enforcement’s investigative needs.

So far this year, our global team that works with police on investigations has doubled, and our team of about a dozen former law enforcement professionals has briefed more than 250 agencies on how Uber can be a resource to help solve crimes. We plan to keep expanding these teams as Uber continues to grow.

We have already begun to realize the potential of our platform to support law enforcement. For example, last New Year’s Eve, we worked with nine cities in North America to send drivers an in-app message that took the guessing out of how to report suspicious activity related to counter terrorism. We also worked with leading organizations to help disrupt human trafficking.

We are launching this partnership with Crime Stoppers in a few cities across the US, Canada, and Latin America with plans to expand to other markets across the world soon. Uber and Crime Stoppers share a common goal of making it easier to anonymously report potential criminal activity.

In October, we joined more than a dozen public institutions, private corporations, NGOs and law enforcement agencies in signing the Hague Accord at the Crime Stoppers International conference in the Netherlands. By signing the Accord, we are endorsing the concept and value of anonymous crime reporting.

By partnering with law enforcement and Crime Stoppers chapters across the globe, we hope to empower Uber users to help build safer communities. We know when it comes to safety, our work is never done, and we are committed to doing more.