Anonymous Callers Often Forego Rewards : Tips Paying Off in Crime Stoppers Program

The two children were playing a game. There was no proof that it actually involved real money or the use of the dangerous drug called crystal. But its characters were real enough: One was the dealer and the other was the buyer. And the game was “Let’s Do a Drug Deal.”

An anonymous tipster called the San Diego Police Department’s Crime Stoppers program and reported the incident, as well as observations of heavy traffic in and out of the apartment where the children lived.

The department’s Street Narcotics Team obtained a warrant to search the apartment. Police found a large amount of marijuana and $1,600 worth of crystal methamphetamine. Six adults were subsequently arrested and charged with possession and intent to sell narcotics. The children were taken to Hillcrest Receiving Home.

Details Can Be Vital

Each month, hundreds of people are confronted with hints or outright evidence of crimes. And those details, law enforcement officials say, may be vital in solving a murder, a robbery or finding a stolen car.

The Crime Stoppers program wants to know about them. And police say that the more a person knows--license plate numbers, names, addresses, dates--the greater their chances of solving crime. The tip may earn an anonymous caller a reward of as much as $1,000.

Sgt. Roy Huntington, who coordinates the program, said the possibilities of witnessing crimes are virtually limitless.

“It (crime) is all around us, and this is where the public fits in,” said Huntington. “I’m asking everyone to play detective in their own home.”

Last month, Huntington said, the program resulted in nearly 600 calls to the Crime Stoppers number--235-TIPS. Those calls enabled police to recover more than $22,000 worth of stolen property and confiscate narcotics valued at $11,525.

Since its inception in September, 1984, tips to the program have led to 200 felony arrests and helped solve 401 cases. They have also netted police $2.5 million in confiscated illegal drugs--an exploding problem in this city and the focus of 85% of all tips, Huntington said.

“There are so many calls about drugs. Dealers are becoming very brazen,” he said. “Callers will often say ‘They’re dealing drugs right in the street. They are actually flagging down cars!’ and I’m not surprised. Oh, and the best ones are the callers who you can tell just got burned on a drug deal.

“You can tell because they are all out of breath, sound angry, and they tell you the dealer’s name, address, phone number, how to approach the house, and they say something like ‘Tell them Jose sent you, Jose says you’re cool.’ They know everything. One guy even knew a dealer’s beeper number,” Huntington said.

Typically, if the caller has enough information and the tip sounds worthy of investigation, the information is forwarded on to the appropriate division of the Police Department, such as homicide or robbery. If more information is needed, the caller is assigned a code number for future calls.

Television Re-enactments

Lt. Bill Howell of the Special Investigations and Fugitive Apprehension unit said the program is responsible for the arrest of six people formerly on the Crime Stoppers’ own Top Ten Fugitives list. Tips from the public have been solicited after television re-enactments of the crimes, aired weekly on 11 stations countywide.

“The detectives usually don’t know who the person is, and we really don’t care who it is,” Howell said of the tips. “The program works. The incentive of anonymity and financial gain is remarkable. People are so chicken, you need to grease their palms before they will tell you anything.”

But while the 22 civilians on the program’s executive board have authorized $36,000 in rewards, many people have declined to accept the money. Once a tipster is assigned a code number, he must call back in 30 days to find out if the case was solved. It is at this time that the amount of the reward, if any, is discussed.

The board, which is responsible for the financial side of the program, solicits reward money through various annual fund-raisers. And while the disbursement of rewards is as secretive as the actual information, many people may be afraid to pick up their money, said Molly Wilson, the board’s executive director and its only paid member.

“The caller is given the phone number of a person on our board who will then arrange a meeting place to pay the person the reward in cash,” Wilson said. “They will discuss what each other will be wearing and other details. Then, the person just has to count the money at the meeting place and fill out a little slip of paper with the code number. But people may still be afraid to go this far, to show themselves.”

Huntington said that any sort of tip, even those that may seem silly, can be very important to solving cases, regardless of whether the information comes from law-abiding citizens who can not handle the frustration any longer or from those who just want the money or revenge.