Gun bounty program gets first arrest

[Hazcat]

ST. PETERSBURG — Acting on an anonymous tip, St. Petersburg police on Friday made their first arrests in the city's new gun bounty program.

The tip prompted police to search a residence at 1100 James Ave. S, where they arrested three men, including one now facing a weapons charge.

Police said they recovered 32 grams of crack cocaine, 113 grams of powder cocaine, 43 grams of marijuana, $2,000 in cash, one Ruger .44 magnum handgun, and ammunition typically used with an assault rifle.

Dorian Jackson, 33, of 1411 Prescott St. S and Cunray Jenkins, 34, of 1100 James Ave. S were arrested and charged with being felons in possession of firearms, trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana and operating a drug house.

Dwight Roberts, 33, of 1123 12th Ave. S also was in the house and was arrested on an obstruction charge.

Police say they have received 16 "bona fide" tips since implementing the gun bounty program two weeks ago. The program offers $1,500 for each tip leading to an arrest and recovery of an assault weapon and $1,000 for all other firearms.

The initiative, created in partnership with Crime Stoppers of Pinellas County, was in response to a rash of shootings in the past month, including one that killed 8-year-old Paris Whitehead-Hamilton on April 5.

Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said authorities have no way of knowing who called in the tip because the person who calls the Crime Stoppers line is assigned a special code. If the tip results in an arrest and criminal charge, reward money is approved, but the person must call back with the code to collect the reward.

Then the reward money is sent to a bank and the tipster can go to the bank and collect it anonymously, using the code. It's still too early to know if the first gun bounty tipster has collected the reward yet, Proffitt said.

Anyone with information about someone who illegally owns a firearm can report it to Crime Stoppers at 1-877-873-8477 (TIPS).

Emily Nipps can be reached at nipps@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8452.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article999509.ece

What the article doesn't point out is that the 'illegal' guns are actually 'felons with guns'.  The bounty isn't on the gun so much as on illegal possession of a gun.

[dj454]

Sounds like this could be a good idea but I can also see some issues with this plan. I like the idea of arresting felons with guns since they are the problem anyway but how many nosy neighbors will call in on their neighbors with legally owned firearms.

[tombogan03884]

Sounds like this could be a good idea but I can also see some issues with this plan. I like the idea of arresting felons with guns since they are the problem anyway but how many nosy neighbors will call in on their neighbors with legally owned firearms.

Yes, even if the charge is dropped it is still a lot of hassle

[ericire12]

Seems to me like they wasted their money.  If the cops were doing their jobs in the first place they would have made the bust anyway.

The media is too busy demonizing guns in general to realize that the major underlying problem here is that the guy arrested was a major drug dealer and probably a career criminal........ But hey, the real story is those evil guns, right!

[tombogan03884]

Personally I oppose the idea of getting Citizens into the habit of ratting on one another, that's the sort of thing they required in the old USSR.

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

Personally I oppose the idea of getting Citizens into the habit of ratting on one another, that's the sort of thing they required in the old USSR.

I half agree with you, the problem, yhough is this no snitching mindset. Now a lot of its just common sense many these guys belong to gangs and they're friends know where you live. But beyound there is still this culture that sees the cops as enemy and so no one rats, and the thugs act with impunity. Cops know that people know who the bangers are they just wouldn't talk. Drag a little money in front of poor folks with them not having to testify and well....different story. You have four thugs off the streets, no witness required. At the very least it makes more sense than a gun buy back.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

I half agree with you, the problem, yhough is this no snitching mindset. Now a lot of its just common sense many these guys belong to gangs and they're friends know where you live. But beyound there is still this culture that sees the cops as enemy and so no one rats, and the thugs act with impunity. Cops know that people know who the bangers are they just wouldn't talk. Drag a little money in front of poor folks with them not having to testify and well....different story. You have four thugs off the streets, no witness required. At the very least it makes more sense than a gun buy back.
FQ13

True, that's why I'm just saying instead of ranting.

[Sgt Z Squad]

Personally I oppose the idea of getting Citizens into the habit of ratting on one another, that's the sort of thing they required in the old USSR.

The only problem is that if you don't help to pick up the trash in your neighborhood, you end up with a trashy neighborhood. "For evil to succeed, good must do nothing." Edmund Burke

[Hazcat]

This 'neighborHOOD' in South St Pete is a mess.  Drugs EVERYWHERE and gangbangers running wild.  If the cops get proactive then the local race pimps start yelling and if they lay back the the good citizens are screwed.

So this was the best solution they could come up with as the local Mayor and Police Chief are afraid of the race pimps.  Hell the "Uhurus' ( http://www.uhurumovement.org/ ) have a seat on the citizen councel for cop shooting review!

[MikeBjerum]

It is a fine line we walk between taking care of 'hoods" like Haz lives in, and turning us into a nanny state.  Sometimes we need to report, but it can get carried away.  I like things like "Neighborhood Watch."  But, I don't agree with indiscriminate bounties on items.  Look what happened to Haz earlier this year, where for a short time he was the bad guy instead of the victim.

Go over to another thread where a family is being taken through lawsuits for choices in medical treatment.  What happens if someone decides we have inappropriate arms and reports us?  I have PIFs, I shoot them for fun, I hunt with them, I use them in competition, and I use them in firearms safety class.  More than once rumors have started in our small town that I have "full auto" guns.  Here's how it goes - On the opening night of firearms safety class we have a "show and tell" with different styles of guns and what can be done with them; as the class progresses many of these guns return for specific learning opportunities with sights, actions or safeties; a parent that hears half of what is said, or a student with an overactive imagination gets worked up over an AR with two magazines coupled together, multiple optics, or some other feature and starts stories; local doctor's wife (now named "whack job") hears stories and talks to police chief and sheriff; law enforcement visits with fat firearms safety instructor and ask if rumors are true; all have a good chuckle and law enforcement officers get to play with fat dude's toys at next range day; and whack job gets told to butt out (in a more politically correct way of course).  Take this story with a happy ending, and move it to TAB or HazCat's locale and what would the outcome be?

Like I said - We walk a fine line between being good citizens and tattle tales.  TREAD  LIGHTLY, and think about what you wish for!