BOSTON -- Boston police are trying a new program to keep illegal guns off the street, and they said that they need parents' help.

NewsCenter 5's Steve Lacy reported Thursday that officials are asking local moms and dads to do some of their own detective work. It's called the Safe Homes initiative.

VIDEO: Gun Tip Line Announced

"Keep our kids alive. There are too many kids being (killed) for no reason," resident Ernestine Tynes said.

She said that she supports the Boston Police Department's new initiative.

"A lot in the community say, 'I don't want to get involved.' You are involved when you have kids," she said.

Based on a program started in St. Louis, the department started a new toll-free gun tip line -- 888-GUN-TIPS. The goal is to disarm children 17 and under.

"We cannot tolerate young children being killed by guns in our community," Boston Police Department Commissioner Ed Davis said.

After a brief investigation, if a tip is deemed credible, an outreach team consisting of community and clergy members working alongside Boston police officers will visit the home and ask for permission to search the dwelling.

Parents have the option to refuse, and they can also limit the search to their children's bedrooms. If they consent and a gun is found, the gun will be taken and no charges will be filed, assuming it was not used by its current owner to commit a crime.

"I think it is good because there are too many killings going around Boston right now," one resident said.

Others said that it's a parent's responsibility to make sure their children are not bringing home guns.

"If you live in my house, I am checking everybody's room," another resident said.

Davis said that gun violence in Boston is down 40 percent over the same time last year.