Tips have led to rewards in only 1 percent of Philly homicide cases, officials say

Following high profile homicide cases, Philly Police usually ask for the public’s help in finding a suspect.  

The often used line is: “There is a $20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction” of a suspect. 

That goes for every homicide case. 

Since 2017, the city has experienced more than 2,600 homicides. 

If a tip had led to the arrest and conviction of every suspect in those cases, the city would be out $52 million. 

But a review of the city’s payouts by the NBC10 Investigators show that tips in just 1 percent of the cases -- 29 homicides -- have led to rewards. 

Taxpayers have paid $560,000 in rewards in the last seven years. 

That’s despite Philly having one of the most generous reward programs in the country, according to University of Loyola-Chicago criminology professor Arthur Lurigio. 

“$20,000, this is a sizable reward amount and it would make a difference in a family's life,” he said.  

But it’s not always easy for witnesses or informants to come forward. They may distrust police or fear being labeled a rat.

“There's a great fear of retaliation among residents,” Lurigio said.

Lurigio says $20,000 may incentivize people to come forward. 

“It should overcome a lot of hesitancy,” he said. 

It’s unclear how many tips police did receive because of the reward incentive. 

Philadelphia Police don’t track how police decide whether a tip is “essential” in arresting a suspected-- and ultimately a conviction.    

“That information has to help us develop probable cause to make the arrest. That information has to be information that's new to us,” said interim First Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore. 

Once someone has submitted a tip, it can take a while to be paid. First, the case has to go through the court system and end in a conviction. Then, there are multiple checkpoints in the Police Department's bureaucracy to verify the information was legit and served its purpose. 

“Whatever piece of information they provide, it has to be documented with that memorandum that that detective will submit that to their sergeant eventually,” Vanore said. 

It continues up the chain of command until reaching the deputy commissioners-- and the city’s managing director, who has final say. 

Vanore says some of the tips they do get don’t always qualify for a reward.

“We are glad they came forward because they may have corroborated something, but they weren't really the essential information that led to the arrest of the individual,” he said. 

An informant whose identity we are concealing to protect their safety, told us that the process needs more transparency. 

“Communication would be the key to how things are dispersed or how things are done,” the informant said. 

The informant provided police information that led to the arrest of a homicide suspect in 2020. The suspect was convicted of murder earlier this year. 

“I myself reached out to the detective inquiring about the paperwork and was informed that he submitted the paperwork right after the trial,” the informant said. 

But the informant says it’s been months without hearing from police regarding the reward.

“It's like they got the information they needed and they just forgot about me,” the informant said. 

Vanore said that person’s reward case is still pending. 

“There's other cooperation we need to get back through to, you know, ensure that the person did provide essential information,” he said, adding that everything needs to be vetted. 

But the informant says they believed that the tip they provided that led to an arrest had already been vetted. 

“I thought it would be cut and dry. They don't advertise that. That here's a whole review board or commissioners board that you have to go in front of or be subjected to,” the informant said. 

Lurigio says police could post decisions on rewards online so the public can see. But providing transparency in the actual process is a balancing act that ultimately weighs more towards public trust.   

“They'd have to believe in the integrity of the police department,” he said. “They'd have to believe that that's credible information because the police are credible.”