SOUTH BEND — Local police say the slumping economy appears to be helping them catch more criminals.

Since January, South Bend Area Crime Stoppers says it's gotten 731 tips that led to 166 arrests, compared to just under 500 tips that led to about 100 arrests this time last year.

Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for tips that lead to an arrest. And with gas and grocery prices that continue to climb, police say that money seems to be more appealing.

So far, $18,700 has been given out in reward money — about $4,500 more than the first half of 2007.

"There are some callers that tell us that they might not have called otherwise but they need the money,” said Lt. Cindy Kilgore, coordinator of the South Bend Area Crime Stoppers program.

For police, there is also a downside to the state of the economy. The reward money comes from donations, which are slightly down. But with three fundraisers scheduled for this summer, Kilgore said she’s not concerned.

Not everyone’s in it for the money. Ten percent of tipsters who give information that leads to an arrest never come forward for their cash reward.

“I've always said the motivation that drives people to call Crime Stoppers doesn’t really concern me as long as they make the call and we can help law enforcement make more arrests,” said Kilgore.

Now there’s an even easier way to send a tip to police. Earlier this year, police launched a website where people can submit an anonymous tip via e-mail. Click on the link in the Related Content box for more information.