GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Silent Observer announced Thursday that rewards have been increased for tips that lead to an arrest in a violent crime.
This comes after several shootings left two dead and four others injured between Saturday night and Monday night, including an armed robbery incident, and a shots fired report Wednesday afternoon.
“The lasting harm this violence has on the quality of life for our residents is unacceptable,” said Chris Cameron with Silent Observer. “To support ending the shocking violence, we have made the decision to offer rewards that are the highest amount in Silent Observer’s 50‐year history.”
Rewards for tips that lead to an arrest are now:
- Murder ‐ $3,200 – a 28% increase
- Shooting with a serious injury ‐ $2,000 – a 33% increase
- Shooting with property damage ‐ $750 – a 50% increase
All tips reported to Silent Observer are anonymous, whether they are submitted through the call line, website or app. State law ensures that information will not be released.
"To those who know who is involved in the violence, you can stop it now by contacting Silent Observer and reporting those involved in making life dangerous for our residents," the announcement reads. "Speak up now for your families, your neighborhoods, and your schools."
Taking a look at the numbers, there have been six homicides in Grand Rapids so far this year; three in the month of May.
Compared to last year, there were three, and it's a big improvement from 2020 when there were 19 homicides.
"We have had 134 victims of aggravated assault, and 134 have been threatened with a gun. Of those, 27 of them suffered gunshots wounds," said Chief of Police Eric Winstrom. "That's about on par for the stats of last year as well."
"If that money encourages someone who wouldn't otherwise come forward with information to leads us to successful arrest and prosecution, that's fantastic."
The chief adds his detectives have strong information on three recent homicide cases and he's confident victims' families will get justice and closure.
GRPD is focusing on patrolling areas seeing an uptick in violent crime.
Investigations into the recent crimes are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact GRPD detectives at (616) 456-338 or Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.
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