Since the late 1970s, Crime Solvers has helped bring criminals to justice by gathering tips from the public and turning the information over to police. Each police jurisdiction has a liaison officer who takes the tips and relays them to detectives in the field. Officer Shelley Broderick plays that role in Fairfax County.
There seem to be Crime Solvers groups for every jurisdiction, but there’s only one number. How does it work?
We have created the National Capital Area Crime Solvers, which is an umbrella organization that handles all the calls from tipsters in the region. Because the region is so transient and each county has its own Crime Solvers board, we thought it would be easier for the media to get information out on Crime Solvers if there was a central phone number for tipsters to call.
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How have things changed since e-mails and text messaging were implemented as ways for tipsters to inform?
Tipsters remain anonymous. When we only had phones, it was a one-way conversation. The tipster would leave the information with Crime Solvers, which passed to the police. Text messages and e-mails pass through a server that scrambles the phone number or e-mail address and allows me to respond. If a detective has questions, I can communicate with the tipster without ever knowing who it is.
How to the rewards and anonymity work?
Any tip that results in an arrest or indictment can result in a reward between $100 and $1,000. Each tipster is given an identification number. If the tip results in an arrest or indictment, I take the information to the Crime Solvers board and they determine the reward. If the tipster called in, it’s up to them to call back to see if they’re receiving a reward. If it’s texted or e-mailed, I can contact them directly.
