Endorsement of Crime Solving Initiatives

WHEREAS, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is a civil rights organization established in 1909; and 

WHEREAS, the rate of violent crime, including homicide, remains a serious issue of concern in African-American communities across the United States; and 

WHEREAS, nationwide, community groups have mobilized with the goal of preventing and solving crimes, and have established reward programs in cooperation with law enforcement and the media to motivate citizens to provide useful information; and 

WHEREAS, such programs have been successful because individuals who are fearful of reporting crimes are confident they will not face retaliation because they may make anonymous tips. Individuals who are apathetic about reporting tips are motivated to provide information because they receive financial rewards for tips that lead to conviction; and 

WHEREAS, reward programs protect cooperating individuals who want a safe environment to raise their children and families, but who do not want to be known in their communities as informants or snitches. 

THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP take a collective stand against violent crime by encouraging communities to create reward programs to encourage individuals to participate in reward programs in an attempt to bring justice for families who have lost their loved ones to violent crime across the United States.