Tips from public help Transit Police identify two men who tried to sell guns at Airport Station

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

With the help of its anonymous smart phone application and text message tip services, Transit Police detectives have been able to identify two men wanted for apparently attempting to sell firearms at the MBTA Airport Station, police said.

On Jan. 5, Transit Police posted information about a Dec. 22 incident in which two men approached a man at the Airport Station, offering to sell him a .40 caliber and/or .380 caliber firearm. The posting also listed information about an anonymous text message tip line and smart phone See Say app.

MBTA surveillance camera image (Transit Police)

It was through these programs detectives received “numerous tips,” enough to identify the individuals, police said today. . As a result, the investigation is now ongoing, police said.

“The MBTA and Transit Police extend their gratitude to those who assisted investigators,” MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.

Both programs enable users to contact transit police anonymously, providing tips from cell phones.

The See Say App, available on the Android and iTunes app stores, enables users to take and send photos to transit police, as well as directly dial to the Transit Police to report a problem.

The text message tip line allows users to report to Transit Police by sending a text message to “873873.”