Crime Stoppers: Know something about a felony case? You could get a reward for it

AUSTIN, Texas - If you know something about a felony case, you could help the police solve the crime for a reward. 

The Crime Stoppers program allows people to submit tips on unsolved crimes and suspects on the run. 

What is the Crime Stoppers program?

The backstory:

Crime Stoppers is a national program that has been around for decades. It's broken down by region. In Travis County, it's called Capital Area Crime Stoppers. 

"A lot of the people that we go after for really, really high-profile felonies, murder, robbery series, anything like that, in which extreme violence is used on the part of the suspect, those people aren't the easiest to find," Det. Adam Curvin with Austin police said. 

Tipsters can earn reward money for information that leads to an arrest. A highlight is that you can be anonymous. 

"Oftentimes, due to social pressure, fear of retaliation, fear of being unfairly scrutinized in social media or media in general, people have a propensity or a desire to help, but an apprehension to do so," Curvin said. 

The reward amounts roughly follow a payment matrix, which varies by region. High-profile cases might have a bigger reward. The funds come from probation fees and donations. 

Officers and civilian volunteers both help with the program. 

By the numbers:

APD provided the following data from the past three years:

2022:

• Tips received: 1,963
• Total Tips Cleared by Arrest: 93

2023:

• Tips received: 3,105
• Total Tips Cleared by Arrest: 69

2024:

• Tips received: 3,236
• Total Tips Cleared by Arrest: 40

Tip led to the arrest of 6 people

What they're saying:

A Crime Stoppers tip recently led to the arrest of six suspects in the November 2024 murder of Xavier Jones.

"We were at a point where we were kind of running out of threads to pull. Then a tip came in, and me and two other officers followed up on that tip. Within hours of it coming in and where that tip purported to be, we saw the suspect vehicle," Curvin said. 

While not all callers might have something useful, investigators can typically weed out ones that are not legitimate. 

"We have a knowledge base that we don't necessarily advertise," Curvin said.

You can submit your tip online, by phone, or on the app.

"This program for our department, and I can only assume is the same for other departments, is absolutely invaluable both for fugitive apprehension and ongoing cases," Curvin said.