Sunshine Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers are teaming up with John Walsh from “America’s Most Wanted” and “In Pursuit with John Walsh” to fight crime. At the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office today, Attorney General Moody, Walsh and Crime Stoppers announced a new partnership to encourage Floridians to use **TIPS, the state’s anonymous crime tip reporting line. The crime-fighting trio are encouraging Floridians to be proactive in helping law enforcement solve cases by reporting information related to crimes. Over the past three years, PBCS received more than 2,000 tips from Crime Stoppers, with more than 400 tips leading to an arrest.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “John Walsh has been the relentless force behind America's Most Wanted and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—I am excited that he is helping us recruit Floridians to join our fight against crime. Through this new partnership with Florida Crime Stoppers, we will be spreading the word about **TIPS and encouraging Floridians to anonymously report information to help law enforcement solve crimes.”

John Walsh said, “I have dedicated my career to locating missing children and fighting crime. The **TIPS tipline will give Florida law enforcement an advantage over criminals in hard-to-crack cases. Solving a case can be a miracle for a family and help make communities safer. I praise Attorney General Moody for her efforts in supporting law enforcement and encouraging Floridians to actively help officers stop crime.” 

President of the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers, Frank Brunner said, “Our statewide network of 27 Crime Stoppers chapters throughout Florida is excited about John Walsh joining our team of crime fighters. This new partnership, along with our current partner, the Attorney General’s Office, will encourage public engagement and help increase awareness on how people can anonymously share their critical information and assist law enforcement with making our state a stronger, safer place.”

Attorney General Moody, FACS and Walsh are releasing a video message for Floridians to assist law enforcement in making their communities safer. The informational video highlights the **TIPS tipline—a number anyone in the state can call from a cell phone to reach the nearest Crime Stoppers office. Individuals can submit information on crimes and remain anonymous. If the tip leads to an arrest, the caller may receive a cash reward.

Attorney General Moody and FACS first launched **TIPS in October 2020. Before the tipline’s creation, Floridians needed to look up the specific region’s Crime Stoppers number to report a crime—there are 27 different offices each with separate phone numbers. Now, by simply dialing the six-key tipline on a cellphone, citizens are automatically rerouted to the nearest regional Crime Stoppers office.

In February 2022, Crime Stoppers USA adopted the phone number for nationwide use. Now, anyone in the United States can report crime anonymously with this easy-to-remember number and possibly collect a reward for tips that lead to an arrest.

In 2021, Attorney General Moody and FACS announced a near-doubling of award money for anonymous tips in murder cases that lead to an arrest. The increase takes the maximum allowable award amount from $5,000 to $9,500 for tips provided to FACS.

John Walsh is known internationally as a crime fighter, victims’ advocate and host of “America’s Most Wanted,” the reality program that helped law enforcement capture fugitives. Walsh currently hosts “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” and co-founded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that helped bring home more than 50 missing children. Over the past three decades, through “America’s Most Wanted, Walsh helped bring to justice more than 1,200 fugitives—including 17 people off of the FBI’s Most Wanted list.

If there is an emergency, dial 911. To report tips anonymously about unsolved crimes, simply dial **TIPS.

Original source can be found here.