Good Citizen Program

The Town of Severance will offer a reward of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person(s) committing vandalism against Town Property and publicly accessible land, not to exceed one reward of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation.

The Town's Chief of Police shall determine the exact award amount. In the event of multiple information contributors, the Town shall divide the reward amount as it deems appropriate by the Chief of Police. For the Purposes of this section, diversion of the offending violator to a community service program or a plea bargain for a lesser offense shall constitute a conviction.

Claims for rewards under this section shall be filed, processed, and paid in accordance with procedures established by Town Management. Claims for rewards under this section shall be filed, in writing, with the Severance Police Department. Each claim shall:

• Identify the date, location, and kind of property damaged or destroyed,
• Identify the law enforcement agency that filed a report and the date it was filed,
• Identify by name the person who was convicted, and
• Identify the court and date upon which the conviction occurred.

No Claim for a reward shall be allowed by the Town Council unless the Town investigates and verifies the claim's accuracy and determines that this section's requirements have been satisfied. The investigation must determine that the claimant's information was relevant and directly responsible for the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Any criminal activity, including vandalism, on the Town Property and publicly accessible land will be subject to prosecution and a trespass order for a minimum 12-month period. The reward policy shall not apply to incidents of vandalism against private personal property or incidents of vandalism that are perpetrated outside the boundaries of the Town of Severance.