Crime Stoppers' Calls On The Increase As Financially Strapped Tipsters Look To Pocket Needed Reward Cash

The New York Times reports:

• To gas prices, foreclosure rates and the cost of rice, add this rising economic indicator: the number of tips to the police from people hoping to collect reward money. [...] Cities and towns from Detroit to Omaha to Beaufort County, N.C., all report increases of 25 percent or more in the first quarter, with tipsters telling operators they need the money for rent, light bills or baby formula.

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• [M]any programs report a substantial increase in Crime Stopper-related arrests and recovered property, as callers turn in neighbors, grandchildren or former boyfriends in exchange for a little cash.

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• Some people have made a cottage industry of calling in tips. Although repeat callers do not give their names, operators recognize their voices. “We have people out there that, realistically, this could be their job,” said Sgt. Zachary Self, who answers Crime Stoppers calls for the Macon Police Department. “Two or three arrests per week, you could make $700, $750 per week,” Sergeant Self said. “You could make better than a minimum-wage job.”

For more, see As Prices Rise, Crime Tipsters Work Overtime.