TAMPA -- The Crime Stoppers tiplines for information on crimes, particularly those of a violent nature, has been around for a long time. But a surge in violent crime around the nation, and in some Florida cities, means tips are needed more than ever.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody wants to encourage tipsters through a promotion with convenience store owners.
She appeared in a joint news conference with the Florida Petroleum Marketing Association, which is planning to post information on how to send in crime tips at 7,000 stores statewide.
Moody is excited about the visibility, noting that the average convenience store sees about a thousand unique customers a day.
Moody says they'll work to push tipsters to the crime stoppers hotline, **TIPS, as well as the anonymous Crime Stoppers app for phones.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know which agency, (or if) you don't trust the police," Moody said. "You don't even have to meet with a(n)... officer."
"If you know of a crime... and you don't share that information, if that person goes on to harm others, that's on you," Moody said Thursday.
Photo: FL Attorney General's Office