CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) – Law enforcement in Champaign County has arrested people believed to be connected to gun crimes with help from a reward program.
In the gun bounty reward program, anonymous Crime Stoppers tips that lead to the arrest of someone who used a gun in a felony crime will mean the maximum $1,000 reward. With the help of three tips, authorities arrested four people during the program’s three-month pilot period. Crime Stoppers paid each tipster and spent a total of $3,000 on rewards.
Law enforcement recovered more than 4.4 pounds of cannabis, over $2,000 in cash, a shotgun, seven handguns and two rifles with the help of the anonymous tips. One handgun and one rifle were previously reported stolen, according to a Crime Stoppers press release.
Crime Stoppers says it needs support from local businesses and the public to extend the gun bounty program past the three-month pilot period. It says it relies on community help for operating expenses and reward money, with the success of the bounty program increasing its need for assistance.
The public can make tax-deductible donations online to Crime Stoppers here.
Crime Stoppers accepts tips anonymously by phone at (217)373-TIPS, online at 373tips.com or through the free “P3 Tips” phone app. Tips have to go directly to Crime Stoppers to qualify for a reward.
