Frequently asked questions
How has the fund been structured?
The Spotlight on Crime Fund is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization established by Minnesota businesses in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and state and local law enforcement officials. It is administered by the Minneapolis Foundation. Donations to the fund, which may come from any individual, corporation, foundation or other source, are tax deductible.
Who do I contact if I want to make a donation to Spotlight on Crime?
Donations to the Spotlight on Crime fund are welcome. To make a donation, contact the Minneapolis Foundation at 612-672-3878.
Why was Spotlight on Crime created?
Money is an effective tool to encourage a witness or someone with information to come forward and share the information with law enforcement officials investigating a criminal case. A substantial reward also creates publicity around a case that can lead to new witnesses and information.
What is the criteria for selecting cases?
Cases are selected to receive Spotlight on Crime funds if there is sufficient reason to believe that a significant reward could help prompt a witness or someone with information on the incident to step forward and provide law enforcement with useful clues to help solve the crime.
Why is Spotlight on Crime important?
There are many heinous criminal cases in Minnesota which have remained unsolved for years. In many of these cases witnesses have been unwilling to step forward. Spotlight on Crime seeks to help solve these cases. Projects like Spotlight on Crime provide Minnesota's criminal justice system with the tools they need to make Minnesota a safer place to live.
How are cases selected?
Each case must first meet the criteria required for consideration of Spotlight on Crime reward funds. The Spotlight on Crime Advisory Board periodically receives summaries of potential cases to consider. After reviewing each case, the advisory board makes its selection. The criteria that govern how cases are selected and the amount of money to be offered as a reward are:
- Only violent crimes against innocent victims, such as homicides or abductions, are considered.
- Rewards are only offered when most accepted investigative efforts have been exhausted.
- The law enforcement agency and the adjoining prosecuting authority (e.g., county attorney and the county sheriff/local police department within the county) concur that reward money has the likelihood of providing resolution to a particular unsolved case.
- The law enforcement agency and the prosecuting authority must jointly request a reward and submit a case before the Spotlight on Crime advisory board for review.
- The advisory board, by a majority, determines the amount of the reward, the amount of time that Spotlight on Crime could offer the reward and the manner and circumstances for which the reward could be utilized.
- The advisory board determines the criteria that must be met before payment is made.
How is the amount of reward money determined for each case?
The Spotlight on Crime Advisory Board carefully reviews each case and determines the actual reward amount based on the specific characteristics of each case.
How is the amount of money given to someone who provides law enforcement with information on a case determined?
The Spotlight on Crime Advisory Board determines the amount of reward money paid to informants based on the value their information provides in solving the case. The designated reward amount in each case may be offered for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for committing the crime in question.
Who is the Spotlight on Crime Advisory Committee?
Spotlight on Crime partners, who each have a seat on the fund's advisory board, include the Minnesota Business Partnership, a business representative who has contributed to the fund, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota County Attorney's Association, Minnesota Sheriffs Association, Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and victims' rights advocates. The board consists of the following people:
- Commissioner Bob Jacobson, Minnesota Department of Public Safety
- Superintendent Drew Evans, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
- Jeffrey Potts, Executive Director, Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association
- Scott Hable, Executive Director, Minnesota Sheriffs Association
- Kathryn Keena, Dakota County Attorney, Minnesota County Attorney's Association
- Colleen Dahlquist, victims' rights representative
- Kurt Zellars, Executive Director, Minnesota Business Partnership
- Brianna Schaefer, Vice President of Goverment Affairs, Target Corporation
How much are the rewards that will be offered?
The program requires minimal overhead costs, so virtually all of the money raised goes toward offering rewards. The amount of each reward offered by Spotlight on Crime varies depending on the criminal case in question.
What makes Spotlight on Crime unique?
The active involvement of Minnesota's business and crime fighting communities makes this program unique not only to this state, but also the nation. The concept of reward programs in Minnesota to help crime fighters solve cases is not new. However, none of these existing programs has Spotlight on Crime's long-standing public-private commitment, a focus solely on violent crimes such as homicides or abductions, the level of funding and the amount of money offered as rewards.
Which companies have contributed to the Spotlight on Crime fund?
The following companies have contributed to the Spotlight on Crime fund:
- Target Corporation
- The St. Paul Companies
- General Mills
- 3M
- TCF Financial Corporation
- US Bancorp
- Wells Fargo
- The Hubbard Foundation
- Deloitte & Touche
- Supervalu
- Ernst and Young, LLP
- Liberty Diversified Industries
- Marvin Lumber & Cedar Co.
- Travelers Cos. Inc.
- HealthPartners
- Ceridian
- Thrivent Financial
- Martin and Esther Capp Foundation
Who do I contact if I have additional questions about how Spotlight on Crime works?
For more information on Spotlight on Crime and how it works, contact the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 651-793-7000 or go to spotlightoncrime.org.