Why do some tips get paid a reward and other tips do not?

CRIME STOPPERS PAYS REWARDS ONLY FOR ANONYMOUS TIPS; tipsters who identify themselves are not eligible for payment.  The Board of Directors for the Crime Stoppers program handling the tip determines which tips are rewarded and the dollar amount of each reward. The Board of Directors authorizes rewards only for tips that result in an arrest or grand jury indictment, or the recovery or seizure of stolen property or illegal narcotics.  Often, multiple tipsters possess the same information and Crime Stoppers receives multiple tips containing the same or similar information.  When  Parker County Crime Stoppers Board of Directors authorizes a reward in such instances, the reward is paid to the first, most accurate tip received.

The importance of anonymity cannot be overemphasized. 

You will be anonymous unless YOU tell someone that you submitted a Crime Stoppers Tip.

What does Crime Stoppers mean by “the first, most accurate tip received”?

When Crime Stoppers requests public assistance in solving a crime, such as the Crime of the Week, or finding a wanted person, the information is presented to the public in many forms, including through TV spots, newspaper articles, social media posts, websites, and radio broadcasts.  Therefore, over a period of several days, thousands of people learn of the request for assistance and many of those people possess the same information concerning the crime or the wanted persons.

When Crime Stoppers receives multiple tips containing the same or similar information, all of the tips are directed to the investigator responsible for the case and the investigator assists the Board of Directors in determining which tip or tips provided the most accurate information.

If two or more tips provide the same case-solving information, such as “John Doe is the person in the Crime of the Week video and he lives at 123 Any Street in Weatherford”, the tip that was received first will be considered for a reward.  If the first tip received provides accurate but less detailed information, such as “the person in the video looks similar to a man who lives on Any Street in Weatherford”, and the second tip received provides accurate information with many details, such as “John Doe is the person in the Crime of the Week video and he lives at 123 Any Street in Weatherford”, the second, more detailed tip will be considered for a reward.