Amy Bauer & Bridget Thoreson

Milwaukee residents can now report local crimes through a new hotline.

Milwaukee joined the national WeTip hotline, headquartered in southern California, Wednesday. The anonymous hotline works with both the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

WeTip differs from existing Milwaukee hotlines because it is national. Compared with local anonymous hotlines, WeTip allows the city immediate access to any crimes reported to the hotline that may affect the area.

"We don't actually locally receive those calls," said Phil Wentzel, sergeant at the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. "Someone in California receives them. As soon as they determine where the call needs to go, they take the information, and WeTip then contacts us."

Citizens can call to report any type of crime, such as terrorism, child abuse or robbery.

"It gives people a chance to report crime without a fear of retribution," said Anne E. Schwartz, public information officer with the Milwaukee Police Department. "One of our biggest barriers to solving crime is fear."

The hotline offers a reward of up to $1,000 if a caller's tip leads to criminal conviction. Schwartz said the amount of money a caller could receive depends on how helpful the tip was.

"People are given a 3-digit code when they call," Schwartz said. "They can check in on the case periodically and as soon as the case is solved the person can pick up the money."

And rewarded callers can pick up their money using a code.

WeTip began in 1972 and has led to the arrest of more than 15,000 criminals during that time, according to a statement from MPD.

Wentzel said Milwaukee was a part of the program in the past but discontinued it possibly due to lack of funding. The program is funded by financial institutions, not taxpayer dollars.

Schwartz said bringing it back was the idea of police Capt. Tim Burkee, who thought it would be a great use of resources.

"We decided we were really going to get out there and make a big pitch for it in the community at a time when people are feeling apprehensive about crime," Schwartz said.

When Milwaukee used the program in the past, it led to several successful drug busts, according to Wentzel. Most cases reported to the hotline are drug-related.

Schwartz cited the shooting on a Milwaukee County Transit System bus Wednesday night as a good potential use for WeTip. One person died in the shooting and another was injured.

"Ten to 15 people just fled from the scene," Schwartz said. "When the media does the story, we have to remind people about the tip line."

The WeTip hotline will not affect Marquette's Department of Public Safety, which has its own system for tips, according to Capt. Russ Shaw, associate director of DPS.

"Certainly anyone could call," Shaw said. "We don't push anybody. If they want to remain anonymous, that's fine, as long as they're giving us good information."

Shaw said DPS is working to create an online form for students' crime tip submissions, but this online service is not yet functional.

To report a crime to WeTip, citizens can call 1-800-78-CRIME or visit the Web site at www.wetip.com and click on the "submit tip" button.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 22 2005.