About Crime Solvers

What is Crime Solvers?
History of Crime Solvers
How the Program Works
The Board of Directors
What is National Capital Area Crime Solvers (NCACS)?
NCACS Participating Law Enforcement Agencies
What Crime Solvers Accomplishes
You Make the Difference
How to Contribute

What is Crime Solvers?
Crime Solvers is a non-profit, tax-exempt, community-based program whose primary mission is to solve crimes by coordinating the efforts of a civilian board of directors with law enforcement and the media.

The program offers a toll-free telephone hotline for individuals to anonymously provide information to law enforcement about criminal activity in exchange for cash rewards. Callers cannot be identified and they do not testify in any trial resulting from the information they provided to the police through Crime Solvers.

The citizen board of directors raises funds to promote the program and pay rewards. The law enforcement agency’s Crime Solvers coordinator processes information received through the hotline and forwards it to investigators. The media advertises the program and Crime Solvers cases.

History of Crime Solvers
Crimes Solvers (also known as Crime Stoppers in some jurisdictions) initially began in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1976. Today, the program operates in more than 1,000 jurisdictions throughout the world.

National Capital Area Crime Solvers was founded in 2003; however, many local Crime Solvers programs began more than 20 years ago.

How the Program Works
Individuals with information regarding criminal activity are encouraged to contact the National Capital Area Crime Solvers toll-free hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers assigns each caller a control number and callers cannot otherwise be identified. Information that leads to an arrest, the recovery of stolen property or the seizure of illegal weapons or drugs may result in a reward of up to $1,000. Callers remain anonymous and do not testify in any trial resulting from the information they provide through Crime Solvers.

After each case is fully investigated, the law enforcement agency’s Crime Solvers coordinator determines if information provided through Crime Solvers led to any arrests or the recovery of stolen property, illegal weapons or drugs. If so, the coordinator advises the Crime Solvers board and recommends that the person providing the information receive a reward. The board then decides if the person is entitled to a reward and the amount of the reward. As such, the caller should contact the Crime Solvers Unit of the appropriate law enforcement agency on a regular basis to determine his or her eligibility for a reward. The coordinator will advise the caller how to collect the reward. At no point will the caller need to provide identifying information.

The Board of Directors
The Crime Solvers board of directors is an essential element of a successful Crime Solvers program. In general, Crime Solvers boards formulate and handle administrative procedures, determine reward expenditures, and coordinate with local law enforcement agencies. Boards fund publicity campaigns and rewards using money obtained through charitable donations. Board members are respected civic and business leaders who volunteer their time, skills and services.

Currently, 5 directors, representing local Crime Solvers programs and the media, sit on the board of National Capital Area Crime Solvers. Although not members of the board, the law enforcement coordinators attend the board meetings and work closely with the board members.

What is National Capital Area Crime Solvers?
National Capital Area Crime Solvers is an umbrella organization for local Crime Solvers programs in the Washington, D.C. area. Each existing local program maintains a local board of directors whose primary function is raising money to pay rewards. Because the success of Crime Solvers depends on public awareness and the cooperation of the local media, the fundamental mission of National Capital Area Crime Solvers is to pool the publicity resources of the local programs and create and maintain a concerted public awareness campaign in the D.C. area. Further, National Capital Area Crime Solvers board will fund rewards for information provided to law enforcement agencies in the Washington, D.C. region that do not have a local Crime Solvers program. The board funds these activities through donations and membership fees.

NCACS Participating Law Enforcement Agencies

Arlington County PD	Prince George's County PD
Charles County SO	Prince William County PD
City of Falls Church PD	City of Fairfax PD
Fairfax County PD	Metropolitan (DC) PD
Montgomery County PD	WMATA (Metro Transit) PD

What Crime Solvers Accomplishes
Crime Solvers helps protect our property and loved ones by removing dangerous criminals, drugs and weapons from our streets. It does so by providing a channel through which ordinary citizens can anonymously provide information concerning criminal activity that investigators utilize to solve crimes, make arrests, and recover stolen property, illegal weapons and drugs. The Crime Solvers program allows you, the citizen, a chance to take an active part in fighting crime. It helps safeguard the community by putting criminals behind bars. During the last 25 years, Crime Solvers programs in the Washington, D.C. area directly contributed to the arrests of more than 1000 criminals and distributed more than $280,000 in rewards.

You Make the Difference
Members of the community play an essential part in the success of Crime Solvers. As a member of the community, your support and cooperation are vital to fighting crime. Indeed, your donations to the program keep it going, and, without you, Crime Solvers would not work. Please help us make Crime Solvers a continued success by providing information about crime or donating money.

How to Contribute
Help us fight crime by contributing to National Capital Area Crime Solvers. For more information, contact:

National Capital Area Crime Solvers, Inc.
4100 Chain Bridge Road, 7th floor, PIO
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
703-246-4280

To provide information regarding criminal activity, please call
1-866-411-TIPS (8477)