Anway, I didn’t realize that CrimeStoppers was a police organization. I thought it was the TV show.

Incidentally, I don’t see this guy as a good Samaritan. I see him as a guy who picked up someone in a park for unknown purposes and when he found out that the hitcher was a cop killer, he wanted to get the guy the hell out of his car. That’s typically called “caution”, not “heroism”.

If I were suing Crimestoppers on behalf of the good Samaritan and they asserted the “911 defense”, I would argue that that exemption to their contractual obligation is against public policy and the Court should not allow it. And this is often done in civil matters. Public policy is not expressed exclusively in the criminal laws.

(You did say “illegal”.)

I think it’s a practical and a technical issue with CrimeStoppers, although we’ll have to wait and see. Apparently CrimeStoppers has a technical rule that the Board must approve payment if the tip doesn’t come through the CS tipline, but they’ve already said it will be considered at this month’s Board meeting. In addition, the pawn shop owner who called 9/11 wants a share. CrimeStoppers may need additional time to investigate so the reward can be fairly paid.

As for reporting it to the police, maybe I misunderstood your point but CrimeStoppers is a police organization so I think a report to it is a police report. It’s simply an anonymous report.

(720 ILCS 5/31‑5) (from Ch. 38, par. 31‑5)
Sec. 31‑5. Concealing or aiding a fugitive.
Every person not standing in the relation of husband, wife, parent, child, brother or sister to the offender, who, with intent to prevent the apprehension of the offender, conceals his knowledge that an offense has been committed or harbors, aids or conceals the offender, commits a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P. A. 77‑2638.)

Illinois’s Criminal Code is modeled on the MPC so I imagine that most other states have similar provisions. What is determinative to your question is 1) intent to prevent the apprehension of the offender, and 2) harbors, aids or conceals the offender.

There must be twenty lawyers who frequent these comments, not to mention the guy whose blog it is. Doesn’t anyone have an answer to the question about whether it is illegal to pay someone to call me instead of the police when they see a wanted fugitive?

Inquiring minds want to know.

“Reward for helping the police catching this guy… but only if you call us if you see him! If you call the police you don’t get a reward k?”

And then, on top, the guy is homeless…

Where is there a nice $50 grand a year with full medical benefits Post Office job or something for this guy? He deserves it. The braindead younger brother of a local city official can get a cushy make-work job for the city or county government in this country, but a guy like Mark Spradley is living in his car.

Of course, I don’t know anything about Mark Spradley other than what he did here, maybe he’s homeless because he’s a waste of life, but he doesn’t sound like it to me.

Guys like this are why I wish I was just obscenely rich…