You asked about the Turn in Poachers (TIP) program and its recent history.

SUMMARY

The TIP program rewards people who provide information about poaching and other fish and game law violations. Informants call a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential hotline (1-800-842-HELP) staffed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). TIP, a statewide, nonprofit organization, offers the informant a reward if a DEP investigation leads to an arrest. TIP also purchased and maintains a small trailer that DEP staffs and brings to various wildlife fairs and shows to publicize the program.

TIP, which began about 14 years ago, had received most of its funding from contributions made by defendants prosecuted for crimes or motor vehicle offenses. But that funding source was significantly reduced with the passage of PA 97-257, which requires that judges, when disposing of a case, consider only donations made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. A bill proposed this session (HB 5597, AAC Contributions By Defendants in Conversation Law Cases) would allow defendants in conservation law cases to contribute to TIP.

THE TIP PROGRAM

Program Funding

Prior to 1997, state law allowed a court, when disposing of a criminal or motor vehicle case, to consider that the defendant made a monetary contribution to, or performed community service work for, a private nonprofit charity or other nonprofit organization (CGS § 54-56h(a)). According to state TIP director Chris Torino, the TIP program received almost all of its donations from this source. In 1997, however, the legislature enacted PA 97-257, which requires courts to consider only whether the defendant made a charitable contribution to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, which provides compensation and restitution services through the Office of Victim’s Services. (The act did not change the law’s community service provision. ) TIP still gets some money from defendants’ contributions, but Torino says PA 97-257 has significantly reduced the amount TIP receives.

Torino, TIP director since late 2003, said the program received about $ 2,000 last year in court-approved donations, apparently from courts unaware of the change in the law.

Torino’s predecessor, Milan Bull, said that between about 1997 or 1998 until 2003 the program typically received about $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 annually in contributions, and that TIP dispensed about four or five rewards a month, ranging in size from about $ 50 to $ 100. We were unable to find out how much money TIP received in contributions prior to 1997.

Program Operation

There is a TIP, or similar program, in each of the 50 states. Connecticut’s program is a joint effort of DEP and TIP. DEP staffs TIP’s toll-free, confidential hotline and promotes it in its wildlife publications. According to the Office of Fiscal Analysis, the hotline costs DEP about $ 25 a month.

According to DEP Col. Eric C. Nelson, DEP assigns an incident number to each call made to the TIP line. The informant must provide this incident number when he calls DEP to find out if his tip has led to an arrest. If an arrest has occurred, it is up to the informant to notify TIP and request a reward.

DEP figures show that the hotline received 210 calls in 2003, leading to 23 arrests and 12 warnings. The number of calls increased to 337 in 2004, with the number of arrests and warnings remaining about the same, at 25 and 13 respectively.

Torino states that he gave out 14 rewards last year, totaling between $ 1,800 and $ 1,900. He said the amount of the reward depends on the type of offense and TIP’s budget. For example, Torino said he might offer $ 250 for tips that lead to deer poaching arrests, and $ 100 to $ 150 for tips leading to arrests for fishing law violations.

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