A host of financial issues at the nation’s largest Crime Stoppers programs is calling into question how wisely some are using funding received from their often cash-strapped communities.
Many are spending just a fraction of their revenue on rewards or costs related to call centers, according to information from federal tax filings. Others have seen rewards paid to tipsters plummet. And a handful who rely on employees rather than volunteers are paying salaries that sometimes dwarf total reward payouts.
Many of the groups are funded through court fines and fees, and public watchdogs wonder if the primary community crime-fighting program has strayed from its central philosophy — cash for information.
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