A man who had bought an issue of Kansas City's Most Wanted newspaper called the Tips Hotline last month to ask if police were still looking for a certain fugitive, reports the Kansas City Star. Kansas City Police Sgt. Craig Sarver checked the computer and found two drug trafficking warrants. The caller said he knew where the fugitive was. “How can you be sure?” Sarver asked. “I'm looking right at him,” the man said. The tipster – newspaper in hand – tailed the fugitive and relayed his whereabouts to Sarver, who sent officers to make the arrest within 20 minutes.
That arrest is one of 90 made because of the Most Wanted newspaper since its inception by the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission about 18 months ago. Readers buy about 3,000 copies of each issue, available at 85 stores. Although officials had hoped to sell 8,000 copies when they started the program, the steady 3,000-circulation covers printing and distribution costs of the twice-monthly publication. The paper generates a handful of calls each month that prompt arrests. Tipsters are eligible for rewards up to $1,000. An online version of the newspaper is at kc-mostwanted.com.