BALTIMORE — Because of Baltimore City funding, Metro Crime Stoppers rewards for violent crimes in the city are increasing. The chairman believes it could bring in more tips that lead to arrests.
“If you see something and you’re afraid to have the police car come up to your house, this is another way for you to report that information to help get that criminal off the streets,” said Chairman Earl Winterling.
Metro Crime Stoppers is a nonprofit made up for volunteers from area businesses and police officers from local jurisdictions who work to help solve crimes by funding rewards for information that leads to an arrest.
They use a software called P3 Tips that keeps everything anonymous from tip to payout.
Instead of any personal information, the tipster chooses an identifying number. That number becomes the tipsters identity. It’s how they track their tip to see if earns them a reward.
Then the tipster picks a jurisdiction and fills out of the information they have. After submission, the tip goes straight to Winterling and all police council member who can start acting on it immediately.
If the tip leads to an arrest and charges, the police council member will present the information to Metro Crime Stoppers’ board for reward pay out approval.
“It’s a point scale system we have so based off the point scale determines how much money that reward is,” said Winterling.
Then, they use P3 Tips to notify the tipster and set up a public meeting location.
“We’ll always wear something identified as the Crime Stoppers shirt. We will be with a plain clothes detective and when the individual comes up and says ‘I’m tipster,’ I hand them an envelope with the money in it and they walk away,” said Winterling.
Winterling said they usually get a few payouts a month across the jurisdictions they work with: Anne Arundel County, Annapolis City, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, Queen Anne’s County and Frederick City .
“We’re getting more now than we’ve got in the past and some of that may have to do with some of the reward numbers being increased.
Because of new Baltimore City funding, rewards for murders with a gun are doubling.
He hopes it leads to more tips and arrests, though he wishes the money wasn’t necessary at all.
“If somebody does a crime and we see it, we should report it right away. Don’t worry about money or stuff like that because you’re talking about a criminal that’s on the street that could hurt you, your friends your family,” said Winterling.
Baltimore City gets the majority of the tips every month. You can use P3 Tips on a mobile app, a website or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCK UP and the operator will enter the information given into the app.
