How it works

Calls are received at the Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound tips line phone 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Calls are received at the Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound tips line phone 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This line does not provide caller ID nor are calls recorded. The calls are handled by an outside Call Center that keeps callers completely anonymous.

  • When you call, you are assigned a tip ID and password, and your tip information is then forwarded to the investigating officer. All tips, no matter how they are sent, are received into the CS Tips program.
  • Follow up on your tip by logging in to CS Tips with your tip ID and password. By clicking on the “DIALOG” tab, you can ask any questions, update your tip, and set up a reward.
  • If your information leads to an arrest with charges, you will receive a cash reward. After an arrest with charges is made, the case detective notifies Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound of the tip that led to the arrest.
  • If you call 911 or local police with an immediate location or urgent concern due to a Crime Stoppers and Washington’s Most Wanted case, you have 24 hours to submit your tip. Please include in your tip information the name of the responding officer whom you contacted.
  • After an arrest with charges is made due to a Crime Stoppers tip, that tipster has 90 days to contact Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound by phone 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or the CS Tips app to set up a reward.

How are cash rewards kept anonymous?

Rewards are up to $1,000 and are calculated based on the severity of the crime and number of charges. However, rewards for homicide and bank robbery are always $1,000.

  • Because we are a nonprofit organization, we answer to a board of directors that meets once per month. At the meeting, the rewards are approved and checks are signed. These checks are associated with your tip ID and your chosen PIN. (You must not lose these numbers!)
  • These checks are then mailed via USPS to corporate Bank of America, where a contact then files reports and distributes them to the different branches by USPS mail.
  • When the funds are received by the bank branch you have chosen, we are notified so that we inform you that your reward is available.
  • When you go to your chosen branch, you will ask for the branch manager. (If the manager is not in, ask for the assistant manager.) You do not show ID nor give your name. You simply state you are there to pick up your Crime Stoppers reward, and you provide your tip ID and PIN. You will then be handed your cash reward.
  • After the reward is established with the tipster, the funds must be claimed in 30 days at the Bank of America branch. Unclaimed funds will be returned to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.
Remember: Keep both your tip ID and your chosen PIN in a safe place; do not lose and do not share them with anyone. If you share your numbers with anyone, you risk losing your reward.

The following individuals are not eligible for rewards:

  • A commissioned law enforcement officer or other employees of law enforcement agencies and members of their immediate family.
  • Perpetrator or co-perpetrator of the crime, if known.
  • Victim of the crime and members of their immediate family.
  • The fugitive.
  • Security personnel, Bail Bonds Agents, and their associates.
  • If you call 911 first for urgent or immediate situations or work with a detective, you must place a tip with Crime Stoppers within 24 hours, or you will not be eligible to receive a reward.
  • If you post your tip on any social media page, you will not receive a reward. If you contact members of the media, it is considered a Crime Stoppers Tip, and you will not be guaranteed anonymity nor will you receive a reward.
NOTE: Crime Stoppers accepts tips and information about crimes in order to solve or prevent such crimes. Users who communicate their own criminal threats by making them through Crime Stoppers are not considered to be Crime Stoppers tipsters, are not eligible for rewards, are not immune from prosecution, and are exempted from the promise of anonymity.

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