Manassas Crime Solvers asks for community donations and tips to support anonymous tipline

Volunteers from Manassas City Crime Solvers presented to City Council on April 28, explaining the local Crime Solvers program’s history, operations and volunteer fundraising needs. The group described how anonymous tips are submitted, how tipsters are assigned identification numbers, and how rewards are paid if a tip leads to an arrest.

Presenters said the local Crime Solvers group began serving Manassas in 1987 and later expanded to include Manassas Park. A speaker noted that legislative protections for tipsters and program volunteers have been enacted to preserve anonymity and protect boards from being compelled to disclose tip information in court. The program operates as a 501(c)(3) and is funded entirely by donations from individuals, organizations and businesses; speakers encouraged donations and local publicity to increase tip volume.

The Crime Solvers representative described operational details: tips may be submitted via a P3 web portal or a tipline and are forwarded to law enforcement; tipsters receive an identification number and, if the tip leads to chargeable arrests, the board evaluates and issues cash rewards (speakers said rewards can be up to $1,000). Volunteers also do outreach at community events and maintain signage across the city and Manassas Park to publicize the tipline.

Council members thanked the volunteers; there was no council vote attached to the presentation. Volunteers distributed promotional materials and asked the city for help increasing visibility, including stickers for municipal vehicles and donations to sustain reward payouts.