Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana: What is the organization and how can I submit tips?

In the year since 16-year-old Kareem Muttler was killed in a shooting on Indianapolis’ south side, his case has not been forgotten.

It’s one of a few unsolved homicides highlighted on Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana’s website.

The organization, which allows tipsters to remain anonymous, is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to felony arrests in the teen’s death.

Muttler was shot in front of an apartment building in the 5300 block of Turtle Creek East Drive on the afternoon of Nov. 18, 2022. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he later died.

The teen was energetic, full of life, enjoyed helping in the kitchen with his mother and learning about his father’s Jamaican roots, Muttler's obituary reads.

“It's about not letting these cases go away,” said Daniel Rosenberg, director of Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana for the last four years. “The victim's families still feel the impact no matter how long ago it happened. There are consequences in society as well when we have people killed violently and no one is held responsible.”

He believes Muttler’s case is one witness or piece of information away from being solved, Rosenberg said.

Anyone with information on the teen’s death can contact Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department homicide detective Erika Jones at 317-327-3475 or Erika.Jones@indy.gov as well as Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.

What is Crime Stoppers?

The goal of Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana, a nonprofit founded in 1985, is to take anonymous tips from the public and get them to the proper law enforcement investigating unit. 

"Really the only thing we do is make sure the tip is anonymous and that it goes to the right place,” Rosenberg said.

How can I contact Crime Stoppers with information?

If you have any information about a crime, you can download the P3Tips mobile app and submit your tips from a smartphone.

Anyone with information can also click Submit a Tip on the organization’s website or call 317-262-8477(TIPS) or 800-222-8477(TIPS).

Who is eligible for a cash reward from Crime Stoppers?

Anyone who submits information unknown to investigators that leads to a felony arrest is eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 from the organization.

How does Crime Stoppers choose which cases to offer rewards in?

Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana offers a reward for any tip that leads to a felony arrest.

"This applies to any case, not just ones that we help to promote on social media/our website,” said Cassidy Spencer, a crime stopper specialist with the program.

Police follow up with Crime Stoppers once a case is closed and will notify the organization if a tip leads to an arrest.

Why does Crime Stoppers only offer $1,000 rewards?

The amount of reward money offered to tipsters varies by each Crime Stoppers organization across the country.

State law only allows for rewards of $1,000 for anonymous tipsters in Indiana.

Any higher amount and Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana would have to get a tax statement and the tipster would no longer be anonymous, Rosenberg said.

Rewards offered by the program haven’t gone up since it started in 1985, while other Crime Stoppers organizations in different states sometimes offer more money.

Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, for example, offers up to $3,000 for info on its unsolved homicide cases.

Indiana lawmakers have been hesitant to consider changes that would allow Crime Stoppers to offer more money due to the impact it could have on the rules for other organizations that might not be as reputable, Rosenberg said.

Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana raises money at fundraisers and is otherwise funded by private donations.

How does Crime Stoppers keep tipsters anonymous?

“We go the ends of Earth to make sure the people who call us are never identified to law enforcement,” Rosenberg said. “We route every call, web tip and every P3 mobile tip all the way up to Canada. That's where our servers are."

Phone calls are received at the local office without caller ID and the conversations are not recorded.

For law enforcement to try and track down a tipster, they would have to obtain an international warrant through the FBI to access the servers in Canada, which is a difficult process, Rosenberg said.

The organization has never outed a tipster, he said.

“This program has been around for 50 years,” Rosenberg said. “I'm not going to sacrifice it to clear one case. It's never going to work like that.”

Is Crime Stoppers effective?

From the program’s start to May of this year, tips from Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana have assisted law enforcement in making close to 7,000 arrests and clearing about 7,300 cases.

The organization has paid out about $950,000 to tipsters since it started.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Here's how Crime Stoppers works in Central Indiana