Mayors Against Illegal Guns - Illegal Gun Tip Lines and Buybacks

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	One major obstacle for law enforcement officials as they work to get illegal guns off the streets is a lack of information. Mayoral Responses: Mayors and law enforcement agencies are working to engage residents more directly in the location and collection of illegal guns. These efforts make use of a range of strategies, including asking citizens to anonymously send the police tips about illegal guns, and offering financial incentives to encourage residents to turn in unwanted guns or to inform the police about particular illegal guns that pose a threat to the community. There are two major ways that these efforts are organized: tip lines and buybacks. Both aim to include residents in law enforcement efforts to reduce the supply of illegal guns to criminals by positively engaging community partners in the process. Examples of Local Responses *Tip Lines* A tip line allows city residents to anonymously call local police departments with information about illegal guns. These tip lines give law enforcement officials valuable on-the-ground information about the presence of an illegal gun in the community. Tip lines can be equally beneficial to residents as well, especially in following up on suspicious illegal gun activity Boston, Massachusetts Mayor Thomas Menino Mayor Menino and the City of Boston have recently announced a gun tip line to help police keep illegal guns off the streets. As part of the Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, the program will enable teachers and parents to report children who may be involved with illegal guns in their schools, and may be followed up by consented searches of homes for illegal guns. Watch the March 27, 2008 Boston Channel Video District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty Washington, DC residents can now call a confidential tip line that would link them directly to the Metropolitan Police Department. They will be able to tip the police about various crimes, which include illegal gun activity. Mayor Fenty and the Metropolitan Police Department recently started the 24/7 Anonymous Crime Tip Line, which provides a valuable link to the Police Department's Gun Recovery Unit Read the Information from the Metropolitan Police Department Baltimore, Maryland Mayor Sheila Dixon Responding to the use of new technologies in law enforcement, Mayor Dixon and the Baltimore City Police Department have developed a diverse range of crime tip lines, one of which is targeted specifically for illegal guns. The initiative is at the front and center of the Baltimore City Police Department's recent efforts to combat crime. Read the Baltimore Police Website Description Read July 30, 2008 Exhibit A News Article --- *Gun Bounty Programs* While similar to Gun Tip Lines, Gun Bounty programs differ because they are responding to crimes already committed with an illegal gun. Informants are rewarded with financial incentives when they provide information leading to the arrest of illegal gun criminals. Jacksonville, Florida Mayor John Peyton In conjunction with Crime Stoppers, a non-profit organization, Mayor John Peyton and Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford have initiated the Gun Bounty Program. This program is designed to reward anonymous tippers with $1000 for information leading to the arrest of criminals using an illegal gun. Thus far, the program has led to 183 arrests from 1214 calls. Read the Gun Bounty Website Brochure Read the City of Jacksonville Description --- *Buybacks* Cities sometimes offer residents the opportunity to exchange their guns for something of value. While early experiments with buybacks offered cash in exchange for guns, many have now shifted to offering gift certificates or specialized debit cards that can only be used for certain types of purchases, such as food. In addition, the faith community has taken an interest in helping with buybacks, and local businesses have been stepping up with generous contributions to help the efforts. These partnerships are intended to encourage broader community support for getting illegal guns off the streets. Buffalo, New York Mayor Byron Brown Mayor Brown recently announced his second "No Questions Asked" Gun Buyback Program this month. Residents were able to turn in their guns at their respective churches, as churches of many different denominations joined the City of Buffalo in offering residents a chance to turn in their illegal guns, without any penalties or questions. Local advertisers collaborated with the City in offering advertising designs to promote this initiative. This second run of the gun buyback program comes on the heels of a successful 2007 initiative that collected 878 guns off the streets of Buffalo. Read the City of Buffalo Press Release Read the October 13, 2008 Buffalo News Review Chicago, Illinois Mayor Richard Daley Chicago's Gun Turn-In Program, in its fourth year, obtained 6,800 guns this past summer. City residents flocked to their local churches to turn in their guns for pre-paid cash cards. Since 2006, this program has collected more than 11,000 guns from Chicago residents. Read the July 22, 2008 City of Chicago Press Release Read the July 27, 2008 Chicago Tribune Article Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Frank Jackson Residents in Cleveland, Ohio will now receive a $100 BP Gas Card in a new "no questions asked" gun buyback program. Cleveland citizens can turn in their guns at the Cleveland Convention Center without any fear of being charged for illegal possession. Mayor Jackson and the Cleveland Police Department initiated this program with the generous help of local corporate partners, who provided funding for the gift cards, and local community groups, who provided grassroots support. Read the November 7, 2007 City of Cleveland Press Release (in PDF) New Haven, Connecticut Mayor John DeStefano In 2006, the City of New Haven was able to rid its streets of 230 guns. Following these successes, a recent gun buyback program provided residents with $100 gift cards for local supermarket use. Extra gift card values were added if shotguns or assault weapons were turned in. Mayor DeStefano and the City of New Haven Police Department were behind the implementation of this initiative, and they received thousands of dollars of gift card funding from a coalition of local businesses. Read the City of New Haven Press Release This is a selected list of initiatives that members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns are pursuing in their cities. Please note that the programs and ideas listed on this page have not been formally endorsed by the coalition. Mayors Against Illegal Guns understands that what works in one city or town might not work in another - but mayors in this coalition have an interest in learning from each other, and these items are presented as starting points for those conversations.

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