This ad appears on the city's official webpage,
http://www.ci.newark.nj.us/
They even have a helpful
most wanted list! I'm going to report all those guys; if they ever catch them, free money.
Is 1-887 toll-free? Is an anonymous, untraced call probable cause? Can they go arrest somebody just based on the tip line?
Is asking lots of people where you can find illegal guns suspicious activity? Is flashing large amounts of money suspicious? If so, somebody should report Cory Booker, mayor of Newark.
On the other hand, it isn't really a bad idea. It's a good idea executed poorly. Cops should be trying to get violent armed criminals off the streets. I'd much rather they focus on criminals with guns than peaceful criminals. Citizens help themselves if they can get the bad elements off the streets. I would argue that anonymous is a bad thing. No one would argue that 'tell us what you know, we'll take any tip' is all the cops can expect in the way of help. Money does motivate. But the infomercial get-rich-quick style suggests that the mayor and government are no better than scammers.
Some parts of DC, Maryland, Jersey would be happy if the police were actually interested in getting gun-toting criminals off the streets. It's bad when residents think the cops don't care. Aggressive ads might convince people the cops want to do something.
