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Gun Bounty program poised for another reboot, amid wave of crime in Jacksonville

Jacksonville, FL — Jacksonville is looking at rebooting the “Gun Bounty” program, as the City tries to fight back against a spike in violent crime.

The initiative began in 2006, was re-launched in 2013, and continues to this day, but is not on the minds of most people. It offers a reward specifically for a tip on a person in illegal possession of a gun, or the location of an illegal gun. Sheriff Mike Williams first hinted at another reboot of the program last week, in saying JSO is looking at an initiative to specifically target illegal guns. WOKV has now asked directly if that means the Gun Bounty program, and Williams and Mayor Lenny Curry say they are engaging the private sector about a partnership.

"To try to crack that- what we just talked about- that gang, gun, and drug culture a little bit. You dangle a thousand dollars in front of a lot of those people, they'll pick up the phone and make a call, if they know it's anonymous," Williams told WOKV, during our "Stop the Violence" special.

WATCH: Stop the Violence special with Jackonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams.

Posted by News 104.5 WOKV on Thursday, September 6, 2018

While it’s not clear at this point if the program would be a strict reboot of the existing one or evolve in some ways, Williams thinks it is a worthwhile investment.

“We had success with it before, got away from it a little bit, no reason to do that. So, that’s one of the things we’re looking at potentially cranking back up again,” he says.

Information WOKV obtained through Crime Stoppers shows there have been 2,994 tips received through the Gun Bounty program, since its inception in 2006. Those tips directly led to 423 guns recovered, 359 arrests, and $249,000 in rewards being paid out, according to Crime Stoppers.

But the vast majority of that came in the years prior to the 2013 reboot.

Data provided by Crime Stoppers shows in the six years and seven months between the initial launch October 10, 2006 and the relaunch May 23, 2013, there were 2,827 tips, 337 guns recovered, 310 arrests, and $205,000 in rewards paid out. In the five years and three months between the relaunch and now, 167 tips have been received, leading to 86 guns recovered, 49 arrests, and $44,000 in rewards paid out.

Further examining the numbers shows the tips since the relaunch were not actually centered around that date either- six tips came in through the later half of 2013. There were 12 tips in 2014, 11 tips in 2015, and single digits in the three years that followed.

The dates of the tips between the initial launch and reboot were not immediately available.

First Coast Crime Stoppers Executive Director Wyllie Hodges says it’s an important program, it just needs more attention, so people realize the reward opportunity that exists.

“If you don’t keep it in the forefront, it starts dying off,” he says.

Not only is every tip anonymous, but Hodges says you don’t even have to specifically say you’re calling with a Gun Bounty tip in order to be eligible for the reward- instead, Crime Stoppers will automatically classify it on their end. Each tip that leads to an arrest and the recovery of a gun is worth $1,000, and that’s in addition to any other rewards that Crime Stoppers may be offering, if the tip is related to another criminal investigation.

“I’ve got ample funds to pay a lot of people,” Hodges says.

While JSO has also carried out gun buyback programs in the past, Williams says those don't typically bring results in the areas they're targeting. He says these events provide a safe opportunity for people to turn in unwanted guns, but the guns JSO wants right now are the ones that criminals aren't turning in willingly.

Hodges further emphasized that they are not targeting anyone who can legally posses a gun, or legal guns in general. They want tips on illegal activity.

“Look at the shootings, look at the murders, look at the people that are shot and not killed. It’s all about getting the guns out of the hands of the criminals,” he says.

By and large, he believes any step they take is worth the effort, to get more guns off the street.

This new push comes amid some high-profile cases, including some involving children: 7-year-old Heidy Rivas-Villanueva died, after being hit by a stray bullet in a nearby robbery-gone-wrong; a 16-year-old has been arrested for a triple shooting that followed the Raines-Lee High School football game, which ended with one person dead; and there was a mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing that killed two people and left ten others with gunshot injuries; and other shootings that have taken place multiple times a week in recent weeks.

While Williams looks at policing efforts, Curry and the City Council are also examining how to better engage the community to get ahead of violent crime. Curry has authorized $50,000 in executive reserves be used to fund small grants for community organizations already working anti-violence efforts on the ground. The Jacksonville City Council is also slated to vote later this month on an additional $300,000 for that effort, which would add to $50,000 also budgeted in the Kids Hope Alliance budget, bringing the total to $400,000.

IN DEPTH: $1.2 billion City budget proposal from Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry

If you have a tip about a local crime, or a tip specifically for the Gun Bounty program, those can be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

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