by Bethany Blankley
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is launching a new statewide crime-fighting initiative involving former America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh.
Moody made the announcement in West Palm Beach on Wednesday with Florida Association of Crime Stoppers President Frank Brunner, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, other law enforcement officials, and Walsh.
The statewide initiative encourages Floridians to use **TIPS, Florida’s anonymous crime tip reporting line, to help law enforcement officers solve cases by reporting information related to crimes. Reporting tips helps law enforcement officers solve cromes, they argue.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, for example, said over the last three years, it received more than 2,000 tips from Crime Stoppers. These tips led to 400 arrests.
“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,” Moody said. “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.”
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. He also cofounded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to help bring missing children home.
“I have dedicated my career to locating missing children and fighting crime,” Walsh said. “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.”
FACS President Frank Brunner said Florida had a statewide network of 27 Crime Stoppers chapters. The new partnership with Walsh and the AG’s office, he said, “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.”
Moody, FACS and Walsh also released a video message encouraging Floridians to assist law enforcement officers. It explains how anyone in Florida can call the **TIPS line and reach their nearest Crime Stoppers office. All tips can be submitted anonymously. Tips that lead to arrests may result in the caller receiving a cash reward.
Moody and FACS first launched **TIPS in October 2020. By doing so, Florida became the first state to implement a statewide cell phone tip line for citizens to anonymously report crimes.
Before the national hotline was created, Floridians had to call one of 27 regional Crime Stoppers numbers to report information about a crime.
By February 2022, Crime Stoppers USA adopted Moody’s crime reporting line nationwide. Now, anyone in America can report crime anonymously by dialing **TIPS (8477) on their mobile phone.
Moody and FACS also previously announced a near-doubling of award money for anonymous tips related to murder cases that lead to an arrest. The maximum allowable award amount increased from $5,000 to $9,500 for tips provided to FACS.
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Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square.
