VIDEO: Los Angeles’ New Hit-and-Run Alert System

The City of Los Angeles has launched a new hit-and-run crash alert system, which uses social media and text messaging to quickly enlist the public’s help in apprehending fleeing drivers.

Los Angeles has about 20,000 hit-and-run collisions each year. About 80 percent of these crimes go unsolved, according to police data from 2008 to 2012.

In 2014, there were 27 hit-and-run fatalities and 144 injuries in the city.

The City of Los Angeles is also offering rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run driver. If the crash resulted in a fatality, the reward is $50,000. If the victim suffered serious injuries, the reward is up to $25,000. If the crash resulted in minor injuries, the reward is $5,000.

The reward is $1,000 for a tip leading to the arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run driver causing property damage only.

The system was inspired by Medina Alerts, a program in Denver.

For more details about the alert system, click on the photo or link above to view a video report from L.A.’s CBS Channel 2 News.