Canton OKs plan to pay for tips for illegal guns

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — City officials have approved a plan to offer cash rewards to help get illegal guns off the street but say the program can’t start until they figure out the funding details and logistics.

The Repository newspaper reports city council voted Monday to allocate $20,000 for the program. It would provide $100 rewards for tips leading to the arrests of people who illegally have firearms and to the confiscation of the weapons.

City officials say the implementation of the program is contingent on city finances and whether officers are available for it amid low staffing levels at the police department.

Chief Bruce Lawver says police must choose how best to use their resources, and he hasn’t made a decision on the gun-bounty program.