Secrecy protects

Defense attorneys for Demario James Atwater and Lawrence Alvin Lovette Jr., the two men charged for Eve Carson’s murder, are putting a nationwide crime-fighting network at risk.

The attorneys are attempting to obtain the identities of tipsters who called Crime Stoppers — under a guarantee of anonymity — with information about Carson’s murder. One of these tips led to the arrests of Atwater and Lovette.

The Crime Stoppers program has led to 513,369 arrests around the country so far. The foundation of its success rests on the principal of anonymity; tipsters are more likely to disclose incriminating information about suspects if their identities remain unknown.

Anonymity ensures security, and security breeds a willingness to divulge information that might otherwise lead to retribution by the accused.

But if this motion is successful, a core tenet of the Crime Stoppers program would be compromised.

If the identities of the tipsters are revealed in such a high-profile case, not only would their safety be in jeopardy, but a vital tool in the crime-fighting arsenal would be severely weakened. Future crimes — even murders — may prove more difficult to solve without the assistance of a trusting general public.

It is conceivable to consider an anonymous tip a shaky piece of evidence to rest a capital case on. It is possible that an anonymous tip could lead to the arrest of the wrong person.

But any case using an anonymous tip also must have more substantial, concrete evidence.

The release of anonymous informants’ identities would cause significant harm to the safety and security of the informants and to crime-stopping efforts of law enforcement.

Anonymity is key to collecting tips that could solve — or even stop — violent crimes.