Thousands of dollars left on the table as Durham crimes go unsolved, tip rewards go unclaimed

People in Durham are leaving thousand of dollars on the table as crimes go unsolved and anonymous tip rewards go unclaimed.

Durham CrimeStoppers coordinator, Brandon Parrott, says 10 people who gave them tips that resulted in arrests haven't come forward to claim the cash reward, which is anywhere from $100 to $2,000.

Parrott said CrimeStoppers receives thousands of tips every year for crimes varying from burglaries to homicides.

"For every crime, there's a victim and being a victim is a traumatic experience," Parrott said. "Those victims need closure and they need the person responsible to be held accountable. They need to be able to go on with their life and begin the healing process."

For hundreds of people in both Durham and Raleigh, they don’t get that closure. According to FBI crime data, in 2012, Durham police solved 50% of all violent crime. By 2022, it had dropped to 27%. Raleigh police solved 56% of violent crimes 2012 and it dropped to just 19% in 2022.

Parrott says people in the community often know information, but don’t want to speak up and that's why CrimeStoppers works - since it is anonymous.

"The person who's providing information doesn't want repercussions on them," he said. "They don't want to be threatened or harassed or targeted."

The program recently updated its technology, now accepting tips online.