Central Alberta Crime Stoppers
Who administers the Crime Stoppers program?
A volunteer Board of Directors actively administers and is responsible for the program. The Crime Stoppers of Central Alberta Association is a registered not-for-profit organization and is responsible for raising funds and public awareness and the disbursements of rewards. The Board of Directors work in close co-operation with their local law enforcement agencies and the media.
How is the Crime Stoppers program funded?
As a registered not-for-profit association, the Crime Stoppers of Central Alberta relies on funding from a variety of community sources. Contributions from individuals, corporations, clubs, professional associations and retailers keep the Crime Stoppers program operational.
How did Crime Stoppers Begin
Crime Stoppers was started in Albuquerque, New Mexico when a Canadian-born Albuquerque Police Department Detective (Greg MacAleese) reached a dead-end in a homicide investigation.
Frustrated by the lack of clues, he enlisted a local television station's co-operation in producing a re-enactment of the crime. Within 72 hours of the re-enactment being aired, the police received a tip that helped solve the murder. This was the beginning of Crime Stoppers.
Today, there are over 1,000 Crime Stoppers programs world wide in countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Bahamas, British West Indies, and Micronesia. Since 1978 Crime Stoppers has helped solve over 880,000 cases and recover over $5.2 billion in drugs and stolen property.
How does Crime Stoppers Work
The Crime Stoppers tip line is staffed by trained personnel who receive, process and pass on tip information to investigating officers. Callers are given a code number which is used in all subsequent calls. Callers do not have to identify themselves. The tip information is given to the appropriate agency to investigate. It is the caller's responsibility to call back for updates.
When a tip file is completed the tip is submitted to the Crime Stoppers Board of Directors for reward. The amount of the reward is based on the amount of help the tip was in solving the case. Number of persons arrested, the risk of the caller, and the amount of drugs or stolen property recovered are some of the factors considered in determining the amount of the reward. When the caller calls for an update, the caller is provided details on the amount of the reward and instruction on how to pick up the reward.
(Source: www.city.red-deer.ab.ca)