What is Crime Stoppers?
Crime Stoppers began in Albuquerque, New Mexico in September of 1976. Members of the local community, in partnership with the media and law enforcement, began an effort to provide crime-solving assistance to law enforcement.
A cash reward was offered to anonymous persons who telephone the Crime Stoppers hot line with information which led to the arrest and indictment of the person(s) responsible for felony offenses.
The Crime Stoppers program has enjoyed great success boasting an average conviction rate of 95% on cases solved by Crime Stoppers’ tips. The Crime Stoppers programs worldwide have solved over a half a million crimes and recovered over 3 billion dollars worth of stolen property and narcotics.
Today there are over 1,000 Crime Stoppers programs in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Bahamas, British West Indies, Micronesia and other nations.
Why do we Need Crime Stoppers?
Crime Stoppers is based on the principal that “Someone other than the criminal has information that can solve a crime” and was created to combat the three major problems faced by law enforcement in generating that information:
- Fear of REPRISAL
- An attitude of APATHY
- Reluctance to get INVOLVED
Crime Stoppers resolves these problems by:
- Offering ANONYMITY to people who provide information about crimes
- Paying REWARDS when the information supplied leads to an arrest
If you have information about a crime that has been committed or that is about to be committed – please contact Crime Stoppers of Vermilion County at 217-446-TIPS.