Robbinsdale police say Bridge911's best feature is one most residents hope they never need. The Bloomington-built app lets anyone confirm that a person claiming to be a Robbinsdale police officer actually is one. Police Captain John Elder pointed to the 2025 case of Vance Boelter, who is accused of posing as a police officer while stalking and killing Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman. Boelter is also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife and trying to shoot their daughter, Hope. Elder said the case fed public doubt about whether an officer is who they say they are.
The Robbinsdale Police Department turned on Bridge911 on July 6, 2026, making it the first law enforcement agency in Minnesota to use the app. It was built by Guardian 4D, a startup founded by Jeff Gottstein, a former police officer turned software engineer, and fellow software engineer Paul Case. Both have decades of experience writing software for law enforcement.
The company's offices are at 215 E 78th St, Suite 300, in Bloomington. Per the company's site, the verification feature works by having officers cross-check a 6-digit code. The app runs on iOS and Android and also offers end-to-end encrypted messaging and secure video calls.
Bridge911 replaces tip411, the service Robbinsdale used to take tips and send alerts. Residents can still send nonemergency tips, anonymously if they want, and get mass notifications about traffic incidents and weather emergencies. New additions include video calls with officers and a bulletin board where police post safety tips and success stories.
The switch costs more. Robbinsdale is paying $6,300 for the first year of Bridge911. Its last tip411 contract cost $4,900 for 2 years. Elder said the extra money was worth it. “So this is more expensive, but we believe that the functionality and the ability for people to verify and have direct contact with our police officers [in] real-time warranted that,” he said. The app is free to residents, and the police department pays for it out of its budget, which comes mostly from property taxes.
One warning from police: this is not 911. Someone checks the app every day, but police said a message could sit for several hours before an officer sees it. For an emergency, call 911.
Guardian 4D wants Bridge911 in more cities and has named New Hope and Crystal as possible next customers. New Hope police still list tip411 as their anonymous tip line, the same service Robbinsdale just dropped.
The company is also building Storyboard, which lines up video from doorbell cameras, squad car dash cams and body-worn cameras on a single timeline. Its website also lists Incident Transparency, a branded site where agencies can post incident media for the public to see.
