MOLINE--Local detectives say in 2018, CrimeStoppers has solved more crimes using a lot more tips from the public.
We hear it, we see it, some of us are victims ourselves.
"We're getting busier. Crime seems to be up," says head of CrimeStoppers of the Quad cities Detective Jon Leach.
Crime in the Quad Cities doesn't go unnoticed.
"Police throughout the QC day in day out see victims and see the impact some of these crimes have on them," says Leach.
What does go unnoticed sometimes are the efforts behind the scenes to stop criminals in their tracks.
There's a community wide unit called CrimeStoppers of the Quad Cities. The goal is to pay residents cash rewards for tips that lead to cracking the case.
Detective Leach says the results from the 2018 CrimeStoppers report send a positive message.
In 2017, CrimeStoppers cleared 91 cases. In 2018, they cleared 198 cases.
In 2017, the organization received 822 anonymous tips from the public. In 2018, they received 1,642.
And the amount of money paid out to tipsters has quadrupled. In 2017, they paid out $6,475, and in 2018, they paid out $28,450.
Leach says the most surprising part is how much tip money has not been claimed.
Even though the group has paid out $28,450, they have had $40,550 approved to be paid out. That means more than $12,000 is still sitting unclaimed at the station for tipsters who never claimed their reward.
Leach points to a few different things to explain the program's success.
"A lot of that, we can attribute to the new app we have, P3 Tips," says Leach.
It's a free downloadable app where people can text in tips using a secret number. They also use a version in high schools throughout our area.
Anonymous tip sharing apps, police work, and building the community's trust are the key ingredients to stop crime.
"I think we have a strong community. People are starting to come together to say, enough," says Leach.