Now, a Hotline for Deadbeat Parents

The Orange County district attorney’s office joined a national crime hotline program Wednesday in a novel partnership that will allow the public to anonymously identify parents who don’t pay child support.

The program, to be run by We Tip Inc. of Rancho Cucamonga, is Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi’s idea. It will be called Support Enforcement Enriching Kids, or SEEK, and is the first of its kind in the nation. The program represents an effort by the district attorney’s office to use private resources to work on one of its most intractable problems.

Orange County is seeking child support payment from about 125,000 delinquent parents. Welfare officials have said their nonpayment results in a steeper county welfare bill as the public assumes financial responsibility for the children.

About 40% of child support payments received by the district attorney’s family support division, or $33.4 million, was used to offset welfare expenses in the last fiscal year, Capizzi said.

“The more child support we can collect from the parents, the fewer tax dollars the public has to spend,” Capizzi said.

The plan to use We Tip to find delinquent parents, more than 90% of whom are fathers, met with no opposition from Orange-based United Fathers of America, an advocacy group for fathers dealing with custody issues.

“We’ve always said that a father should always make his support payments no matter what it takes. It sounds like a program that can really help a lot,” said spokesman John Nazarowski.

But issues important to fathers who don’t have custody of their kids should also should be a priority for law enforcement, Nazarowski said.

“I really wish Mike Capizzi would put a little more effort into finding all those children who aren’t allowed to see their fathers because their mothers have hidden them away.”

The county has entered into a $20,000, one-year contract with We Tip, and the program begins immediately, Capizzi said. The number is 1-(800) 78-CRIME, and if child support collections increase because of the program, the contract will be renewed.

Calls to the hotline are confidential. Tipsters are given a fictitious identity they can use to identify themselves if their information helps locate a delinquent parent. Rewards will up to $250.

The program also includes a website, and people may contact We Tip at www.wetip.com.

Dennis Kottmeier, president of the board of directors of Orange County We Tip Inc., and a former San Bernardino County district attorney, said he understands the difficulty in collecting child support and hopes his group’s success will be duplicated in the new program. We Tip has been responsible for 13,000 arrests, said Marion Brownell, the group’s founder.