Ask Us: What is the status of Rowan-Salisbury’s Crime Stoppers?

Published 5:37 pm Monday, August 29, 2022

Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online Mondays and in print on Tuesdays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

The Post received a question regarding the status of Rowan-Salisbury’s Crime Stoppers’ program.

The local branch of this anonymous tip line for public safety was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic due to staffing problems. Now, community members can contact 1-866-639-5245 to get in touch with the general line which will then report it to the Salisbury Police Department and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Russel Desantis also confirmed that the department still receives anonymous tips from Crime Stoppers.

According to a representative from the anonymous line, the Rowan-Salisbury program still lacks a coordinator.

The Crime Stoppers line is to guarantee anonymity when reporting crimes to avoid fear of reprisal with individuals. If the tip results in an arrest, the citizen is to receive an optional, small reward.