PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody was in Palm Beach County on Wednesday to announce a new partnership with former "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh and the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers.
The collaboration is working to encourage residents across the state to report crime anonymously and solve outstanding cases.
Moody said when she became attorney general in 2019 there were 27 different anonymous crime reporting lines across Florida.
"Many times those who commit crimes do not stay in the jurisdiction in which they commit crimes. They flee to other jurisdictions," Moody said. "They may reside in other jurisdictions, and we really need a way and a program to involve those in the communities who may have information about crime — which might not be in the jurisdiction in which that crime was committed. We need Floridians to feel a part of that process."
Because of this, the state introduced in 2020 a uniform crime reporting line — **TIPS — which allows residents to report crime that is sent to the proper jurisdiction.
"Now it's time that we really engage and recruit law-abiding citizens to become members of our crime-fighting community and team to help us solve more recent crimes but even long, outstanding, unsolved crimes," Moody said.
At the event, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw praised Walsh for being a "great partner" to law enforcement in tracking down dangerous criminals.
Bradshaw also praised the importance of Crime Stoppers in not only finding suspects but also preventing other crimes like mass shootings.
Walsh said Florida was a role model for the rest of the country in helping the public to report crime with the **TIPS line.
"(Florida's) Crime Stoppers is the nation's example," Walsh said. "We guarantee at Crime Stoppers that you will remain anonymous and that you will get paid."
Moody said the new campaign spotlighting the **TIPS line will include videos and social media posts with Walsh to generate crime-fighting tips from the public.
