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Reducing
crime
By Ken Wimmer
Crime Stoppers of El Paso
Crime Stoppers and security both have a community responsibility to reduce crime.
Many people believe that Crime Stoppers is part of the police department. It is
not; Crime Stoppers is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors who receive no compensation for their work.
They operate completely from donations and
grants. Their primary funding base comes from donations made by the community and businesses. Donations cover rewards, training, the cost of producing radio and television announcements, office expenses, telephones and the TIPS hotline.
Crime Stoppers does not work for, or under, any law enforcement entity. They are totally independent of any and all law enforcement agencies and they do not conduct any investigation work. They collect anonymous tip information and pass it along to the appropriate law enforcement agency. If the tip leads to an arrest, they then pay out a cash reward for that information. Security officers could receive some cash for reporting information that leads to an arrest.
Today there are more than 1,200 Crime Stoppers programs in 20 countries including United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. These programs take tips to assist investigators to solve crimes including homicides, sexual assaults, drug trafficking operations and robberies, just to name a few. Programs have also received information that has prevented school shooting and criminal acts by terrorist organizations. Crime Stoppers is the largest crime-fighting organization in the world, responsible for the seizure of $5,491,835,498 in illicit drugs and the recovery of $1,529,614,961 in stolen property.
Rewards are paid for anonymous tips that lead to the arrest of a suspect and, to date, Crime Stoppers statistics show a conviction rate of 95 percent.
Security and Crime Stoppers work together and every security company should be involved with their local Crime Stoppers program.
Crime Stoppers brings together the community, law enforcement and the media to help solve crime in the area. Each of the three elements is critically important to the success of the organization.
The three partners to a Crime Stoppers program are:
The community
Citizens form the foundation of a local Crime Stoppers program. There are people who serve as volunteer members on the Crime Stoppers board of directors, with responsibility to operate the nonprofit corporation, raise funds and approve reward payments when arrests are made. Members of the public support Crime Stoppers at public events and through other fundraising activities. And others call Crime Stoppers when they have information that will solve crimes.
The media
Local media outlets have responsibility for promoting Crime Stoppers by publicizing unsolved crimes and assisting with appeals to raise funds for the program. On an ongoing basis, newspapers as well as radio and television stations in the community undertake to broadcast a Crime of the Week which highlights an unsolved case. This appeal can include a video re-enactment of a crime to give the public a visual portrayal of what occurred and some ideas of the information investigators may require to solve an incident. The media also regularly promotes the special Crime Stoppers phone number.
The law enforcement agencies
Usually the police department will appoint coordinators to operate the Crime Stoppers program on a daily basis and provide staff to maintain an office that receives and distributes the tip information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Callers are never asked to identify themselves and there is no equipment in the office that records voices or traces telephone numbers. Anonymity is guaranteed by state and federal law. Those who call Crime Stoppers receive a code number that allows them to claim a reward once an arrest has been made. The police are also required to investigate the various Crime Stoppers tips and report back to the coordinator when an arrest has been made.
How it all began
Crime Stoppers began back in 1976 in Albuquerque, N.M. There was a crime that had been committed and the police were at a loss as to where to begin their investigation. A young officer/detective, Greg MacAleese, had the idea to reenact the crime and broadcast it in hopes that someone may have seen something by chance. A local television station aired the reenactment and through information received, an arrest and conviction was made. That September, the first chapter of Crime Stoppers was formed.
In mid-1978, Leo Samaniego (then El Paso Police captain and now the sheriff of El Paso County) along with El Paso Police Sgt. Dwain Johnson organized a group to meet with individuals in Albuquerque so that a similar program could be organized in El Paso. With the leadership of Samaniego and support from the El Paso Kiwanis Club and other prominent businesspersons, a chapter was formed in late 1978.
The first meeting of this newly-formed group met at the Mutual Savings and Loan in downtown El Paso, making Crime Stoppers of El Paso, Inc. the first chapter organized in Texas and the second chapter nationally. The board was created using a rotating term appointment so that every year a third of the board would be replaced. By drawing �straws,� members were appointed for one, two, or three years to ensure the board would always be rotated.
Another key to the success in the El Paso market was the 100 percent cooperation by all the news media. Not one individual or business was responsible for the creation and growth of Crime Stoppers, and it is through the efforts of many working together that the success of Crime Stoppers of El Paso Inc. continues to flourish.
Crime Stoppers of El Paso Inc., now in its 28th
year, has been responsible for more than 3,500 arrests and more than 4,200 cases cleared, more than $4 million in property recovered and more than $47 million in recovered narcotics. Since its inception, Crime Stoppers of El Paso Inc. has paid out more than $810,000 in cash rewards.
As the board president of Crime Stoppers of El Paso, Inc., the administrative director of security for the Sierra Providence Health Network in El Paso and a member of ASSIST, I can sincerely tell you there is a benefit for having Crime Stoppers and ASSIST working together serving our community.
Thank you for the opportunity to explain Crime Stoppers; hopefully all ASSIST members will contact and coordinate closely with their local Crime Stoppers organization.
Ken Wimmer, CPP, president, Crime Stoppers of El Paso, Inc., www.Crimestoppersofelpaso.org,
Administrative Director of Security, Sierra Providence Health Network, El Paso, Texas.
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