Always anonymous: Marking the 700th episode of Silent Witness on KTAR News

In this high-tech age of Alexa, Echo, Home, Siri and even caller ID, privacy sounds like something from the dark ages.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Jamie Rothschild said Silent Witness not only makes anonymity possible but mandatory.

“We’ve never had a breach of confidentiality,” he said.

There is no caller ID, you will never be asked your name or for any other information that could identify you. So how do they contact you if you’re eligible for a reward?

“We don’t reach out to people to tell them if they’re eligible for a reward because we don’t know who they are or how to get a hold of them but we give them a tip number and tell them when to call back to check,” Rothschild said.

When you call back, and if you’re entitled to a reward, you pick the bank where you want to pick it up. You give the teller the tip number, you get the cash and you walk away. No questions, nothing to sign, no ID.

As we mark this, the 700th episode of Silent Witness on KTAR News 92.3 FM, we thank you for helping solve cases across Arizona.

And we remind you that Silent Witness rewards aren’t funded by police departments. Silent Witness is run by a board of civilians who are responsible for paying out the reward money and fundraising events.

The money comes from donations by people like you and businesses in our community.

Keep listening as we keep working to make our neighborhoods safer.

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