CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Channel 9 noticed a trend in a part of Charlotte-- pay people and crime goes down.

Officers around Southeast Charlotte seem to using money and other rewards to get more people to help them.

Police got four apartment complexes-- like Campden Pinehurst on Providence Road-- to give gift cards or charge lower rent to certain renters who keep their vehicles locked and hide their valuables. Heather Alexander-Ferrer hopes she wins.

"Just having them say something about it makes you think, like, 'Oh, yeah, I should always be locking my doors, but, hey, I’m going to do it, then maybe get something, prizes for doing it,” she said.

That's why officers are spreading the program to SouthPark Mall and a hotel next door.

Channel 9 is also told -- over in the Matthews area-- police paid about $1,100 to Butler High students last school year. Apparently, students gave police so many good Crime Stoppers tips, officers caught an armed robbery suspect, made drug busts and found thousands of dollars in stolen property.

Southeast Charlotte resident Susan Novy wants to move to this part of town because of increased crime where she lives now.

"It's always a good thing to offer incentives for people to do the right thing, well, you shouldn't have to, but, it works," she said.

And Channel 9 wanted to know how much it works, so we checked the numbers for the area where most of the examples are taking place—Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department’s Providence Division. The latest stats show total crime down 22 percent from last year, auto larceny down 19.7 percent from last year, and armed robbery down 30.6 percent from last year.

It's hard to pinpoint how much these prizes help -- but officers know they don't hurt.